Conciliator
by Laughing Yuurei
Summary: When Reborn went to Japan in order to protect and train Sawada Tsunayoshi on Nono's orders, he expected a quiet and normal family in a peaceful town. He certainly didn't expect to find a secretive family whose members seemed to know too much and hide as much. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer :** Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

 **Warnings:** AU (sort of) / No beta

 **Rating:** T (for language and violence that will appear later)

 **A/N:** Well, it will diverge from the manga (a lot)

* * *

Chapter 1

It was half past five in the morning, a little after dawn, when a thirteen-year-old boy woke up suddenly. He sat up on his bed, letting his covers fall around his waist. He ran a tired hand through his wild spiky brown hair. His eyes fluttered a little bit, letting his tears caused by his yawns rolled on his cheeks. He wiped them away, rubbing his eyelids. His legs freed themselves from the soft covers in a quiet rustle as he slowly put down his bare feet on the smooth carpet.

"Why does it have to be so early?" He complained under his breath, stretching his limbs.

He sluggishly got up, losing briefly his balance. His left ankle gave a slight protest which caused him to bang quite painfully into his desk. He groaned but managed to stumble across his room, still in a sleepy daze and completely ignoring his slight pain on both his ankle and his side. He pushed his door open, pausing briefly. The smell of his mother's shampoo hit his nose, confirmed by the sound of running water. Since his mom was in the bathroom, he chose to carefully climb down the stairs. He did not need to trip on his own feet and dash quite harshly into a welcoming cold floor.

Sighing in relief when reaching safely the wood flooring of the hall, he entered the kitchen, determined to prepare breakfast. It was a while since he had done it and he knew his mom would be pleased to find it prepared.

"Hello. Did you have a nice sleep?" He greeted, getting tools and ingredients.

He received a concert of meow as an answer, followed by a:

"Hi cub, you're quite early today. Care to share why you suddenly decided to do that?"

Said cub turned around, aiming straight to a cushion put on a chair. His hand patted a black cat whose two tails twitched happily at the caress. It closed his wall-eyes, slightly purring.

"I just got the feeling that something or rather someone really dangerous is watching us." The brunet replied, returning to his cooking. "I also have the impression that it will bring quite an _extreme_ change, as Sempai would say."

The room fell in a comfortable silence for minutes. The black cat kept his eyes open, looking thoughtfully at the teen in front of it. It didn't even glance at the five unusual cats prowling around, waiting for their share of food. Each one of them presented added appendices, one with horns, another with five legs instead of four, and so on. Their eyes shone with controlled hunger and impatience while staring at the human boy cooking. There was soon enough a humming approaching.

"Good morning Tsu-kun." A young-looking brunette with a small frame greeted.

Her son smiled warmly at her, answering cheerfully. She however noticed the way he favored one of his leg while setting the table. She didn't say anything and turned to the black cat.

"Good morning Kage-chan."

"Let's hope so, Nana." The feline replied with a tint of mischief.

Nana looked a little bit apprehensive, taking one of the bakeneko in her arms. It immediately purred, pleased. Her bright smile came back as she stroked the soft fur.

"Don't scare Mom, Kage-chan!"

"Stop pouting Tsuna and hurry up, I'm hungry."

Tsuna mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Wanting to be a little bit original, he soon placed pancakes on two plates with honey for his mother and strawberries jam for him. Before sitting down, he opened the windows, letting a white crow with one leg enter. Kage-chan jumped on the table, sitting beside it. She looked oddly at it without blinking. They stared at each other for long minutes as if competing. Five bakeneko suddenly mewled at Tsuna's feet.

"Fine, fine." He sighed.

He settled comfortably on his chair, crossing his legs. The cats immediately jumped on his lap in a mess of fur and limbs, loudly purring. The crow chose to land on his hair without a sound. One of the bakeneko had stayed with Nana, completely content. She could only feed one of them while Tsuna could easily satisfy all of them without feeling his energy falling. They stayed through the breakfast basking in the humans' auras. When the brunet swallowed his last pancake, the bird crowed a surprisingly human word of thanks before leaving through the window. Some bakeneko followed his example while the others simply chose to go to the living-room to sleep on the sofa.

"You should stop bringing back strays." Kage-chan suddenly advised Tsuna, jumping on the table. "It will be awfully boring if something were to happen to you."

He chuckled lightly and gave her a reassuring smile. Nana watched her son take their empty plates to the sink, washing them.

"Tsu-kun, I received a call yesterday afternoon."

He immediately tensed. At that time, he had been at school; therefore he had not been able to hear her conversation. He forced himself to relax, handling carefully the flatware.

"Was it another job?" He asked with a false calm.

"No." She quickly assured him. "It was from Iemitsu."

That startled him. Thankfully he was done or he would have dropped whatever he was holding.

"He's still alive?" He was honestly surprised.

It had been so long that they had received news from him that Tsuna had assumed his father was dead. In fact, he was kind of hoping so. If not, if he was still alive, then he had _zero_ excuses for abandoning his family. Realizing that he was clenching his fists, he loosened up.

"What did he say?" Tsuna carried on, unsure on how to react.

Nana herself wasn't too sure how to feel. She did resent Iemitsu for his absence and his silence but she found that she couldn't hate him for it. She inwardly sighed.

"He said that one of his friends will be coming sooner. I think that he'll be some kind of tutor." She explained.

"A tutor." He repeated blankly. "He should have stayed dead."

"Tsu-kun!" Nana exclaimed, a little bit horrified by his comment while Kage-chan was sneering.

"Mom." Tsuna interrupted without paying any mind to the black cat. "It's too dangerous."

Her face softened a little, understanding his worries. Really, her son could be a worry heart sometimes.

"Everything is going to be okay, Tsu-kun." She confidently assured him.

"We're going to have to be careful, even more than now." He protested with a vague wave of his hand. "I can't let…"

"If there is any chance that this friend can be of any help, then it's worth it." Nana quietly stated with a voice leaving no room to any argument.

Tsuna knew to recognize a lost battle when he sensed one. Especially with his mother.

"Okay." He agreed with the growing impression that he was sealing his fate. "Okay."

Kage-chan looked at him, radiating amused vibes.

"I think it's going to be fun."

Tsuna simply groaned, burying his face into his hands.

Thirty minutes later, he was fighting with his uniform tie, his fingers running up and down on the cotton. Nana chuckled upon seeing him. She walked to him, straightening his shirt and vest. She then quietly untangled the disastrous tie to form it correctly. With a fond smile, she ruffled his brown locks.

She really felt lucky to have Tsu-kun. Yes, her boy was clumsy, shy with anyone he wasn't close to. He lacked esteem and confidence. He wasn't an athlete nor an intellectual. She couldn't care less. He was warm, honest and loving. He was genuinely worried for those he cared for. He was always trying his best. He dedicated himself to protect her to the point it was worrisome.

"Tsu-kun," she called suddenly, "go sit on the sofa, will you?"

He stilled as he hesitated. Her voice had transmitted to him her worry and her desire to help. She surely had noticed his injury. With a resigned sigh, he obeyed. It was not as if he could flee or refuse her concern without hurting her. He absolutely loathed the idea of bringing pain or sadness to his mom. The two bakeneko already lying on the couch rolled a little, giving him some space. Each of them opened one of their eyes, staring at him. His hands started to pet them in an unconscious manner, creating a sudden purring.

Nana knelt in front of him, gently grabbing his ankle. He didn't react when the movement bought a slight pain, still stroking the bakeneko'sfur and lulling them to sleep. It was nothing compared to some of his previous injuries. She quietly examined it as if determining what had happened and how she could help.

"It's a sprain." She noted while calling upon her own flames.

They were different from the usual ones, harboring a comforting yellow but weakly dancing on her palm, warm and comforting, without burning. She wasn't powerful enough to heal it; however she could release some of his pain.

"Thanks Mom." Tsuna smiled. "How much time have I left before going to school?"

"About an hour or so, cub." Kage-chan replied, settling down on his legs. "Plenty of time to let you know about how I think of you picking up strays."

"Kage-chan!" He protested. "He was simply a bit hungry."

"You do remember that youkai usually attacked you because they are hungry, right?"

His lips frowned and he crossed his arms on his chest. One bakeneko gave a glare to the black nekomata, deprived of the gentle hand. Nana giggled gleefully, standing up. She felt a little bit light-headed and wisely chose to take a nap upstairs.

"I know that he wouldn't hurt me so I invited him in." Tsuna assured Kage-chan.

"By doing so, you allowed him to come whenever he wants." She reminded him sternly. "He can be nice one day, and aggressive another."

"If that ever happens –which I highly doubt- I'll deal with it." He answered with not so much confidence. "You taught me how to act according to the situations, right? It's going to be okay, I think."

She snorted. Well, sure she was a bit annoyed to meet another stray picked by her favorite human. Her gaze landed on the two bakeneko sleeping next to her. He always had this weird and dangerous habit but it was kind of amusing to see what or who he would bring next time. If she really had deemed it troublesome or boring, she would not have stayed. It was way too funny to watch this human and for an old youkai like her, she needed distraction. Boredom was her worst enemy.

"There's surely a link between that man's friend and my intuition." Tsuna suddenly mused aloud. "After all…"

"We don't believe in coincidences." Kage-chan finished in his stead, pleased to know that one again, routine would turn out interesting.

They didn't speak further, simply enjoying in the morning silence and its peacefulness. Surrounded by the purring of the cats, the boy was lulled to sleep. Kage-chan stayed on guard, deciding to watch over him. Her tails were lazily sweeping the cushion on the couch as her head rested on the brunet's lap.

He had not opened his eyes yet.

* * *

An infant dressed in a black and expensive suit was keeping watch on a house from a nearby tree. His fedora was awry settled on his spiky dark hair, revealing a weird looking green lizard. A yellow pacifier hung around his neck, clearly visible on his white shirt. He shifted suddenly, tilting up his fedora and making two curly side-burn bounce. His attention focused on a young brunet getting out on the street. The boy paused momentarily in his steps once he reached the road. His head turned toward the tree at his right, as if sensing these two dark eyes on him. He shivered and awkwardly hurried on his way, leaving behind the displeasing sensation.

The infant watched him leave without moving. He was already changing his plans upon seeing that the report he get on the brunet contained a flaw. Apparently, Sawada Tsunayoshi had awoken his Hyper Intuition. It was good news for it meant for the infant that he could focus earlier on the training. However that also meant that he had to verify each one of his information he get since one flaw could hide several others. His mood darkened, sensing that the description he had gotten was likely to be quite useless.

Sensing eyes on him, he turned his head toward the house. On the edge of the boy's window was a huge black cat staring at him. He gazed evenly at it, wondering if it belonged to the brat or his mother. Whatever. Leon, his chameleon currently dozing off on his fedora, was more than capable to protect himself. That, however, was not his main concern.

Though they were weak, the infant had clearly felt Sun flames coming from inside the house. There was only Sawada Nana and her son who lived in here. None of them were aware of the Underworld so they shouldn't have any information about Dying Will Flames, much less about their use. Several hypotheses ran through his mind. He tilted his fedora down, narrowing his eyes. He didn't like where his thoughts were going, despising surprises unless he was the one creating them. He had not yet begun his job and he could already tell that it would soon become an even more annoying bother that he had originally thought.

Tsuna released a relieve sigh once away from the scary presence. From his senses alone, he could tell that whoever it was; was powerful in his own way. The brunet was almost sure that this new soul was human. He had learned how to differentiate youkai and humans apart though he had sometimes quite the difficulty to do so, especially with the strongest ones. For them, he had to count on both his intuition and his Sight. Tsuna slowed down, lost in his thoughts. They didn't believe in coincidences. His intuition had awoken him this morning to alert him of a dangerous newcomer in town. His mom informed him that Iemitsu had hired a tutor for him, supposed to come soon. A dark and powerful aura was emitted by a stranger hidden in a tree, looking at his house. Yep. Tsuna was definitely not impatient to meet his home tutor.

"What a good scent."

The brunet suddenly froze, several alarms ringing in his head. That was usually not a good omen for him. He didn't recognize the voice, so it wasn't one of his friends' nor one of his acquaintances. It belonged to a youkai, no doubt about it; which meant that Tsuna should get away as soon as possible, like right now. The teen started to walk a little bit faster, not enough to alert the hungry ayakashi but enough to escape –hopefully. He knew that he was near his school and with the barriers that he had previously settled in case of stalking, attacking and sticking youkai that would gladly follow him in. He would be safe there, though he had to regularly change the talismans that formed the barrier. Tsuna just hoped it wasn't time yet to do it. In that case, he wasn't safe anywhere.

Something that felt like leather brushed suddenly the skin of his arm. The brunet shrieked and immediately cursed inwardly after. Way to destroy any discretion, Tsuna, well done!

"Ah, I knew that this delicious scent belonged to you, human child." That previous voice purred in satisfaction.

The teen cringed, clearly not appreciating the weird compliment. He wasn't a meal with legs! Tsuna broke into a sprint without waiting for the ayakashi to move. There was a laugh behind him as the creature chased him. His ankle chose this moment to remind itself to the brunet. He ignored it, searching into his pockets while his bag was hitting repeatedly against his thighs. Thank kami he always had some protective talismans on him. Finally managing to grab one, his infamous clumsiness decided to kick in, sending him to the floor. He let out an embarrassing squeak, twisting to face the ayakashi. Shoving the talisman in front of him, he felt it stick into something that could be a face. The youkai shrieked –and Tsuna felt relieved to know that he wasn't the only one to emit such high-pitched sound- before backing away hurriedly. The brunet took this chance to get up and ran away as fast as he could with a sprained ankle and the fear to bump into an obstacle.

He only slowed down when entering the barrier of the school, certain to be safe. He paused at the gate, recognizing a spicy scent and an ominous presence. He turned toward it, smiling brightly.

"You're lumping." A harsh voice noticed.

Hearing the disapprobation, the brunet winced. He scratched his cheek nervously, shrinking slightly.

"H-hello Kyouya-san." The teen greeted the prefect with a tentative voice.

"What happened?"

"N-nothing." The brunet reflexively replied.

"Herbivore."

That single word carried his growing impatience and his irritation. The brunet twitched, used to being called by another nickname and understood that it was pointless trying to hide anything from his interlocutor.

"R-really, it's nothing." Tsuna insisted nonetheless. "It's the usual."

Hibari Kyouya narrowed his eyes, staring at the small animal in front of him. His uniform was dirty and scrunched –it was against Namimori Middle rules to wear untidy attire. He was clearly leaning on his left leg, relieving any burden on his right. Used to being chased by ghosts and others monsters, he was not panting as he had built his stamina and continued to do so. He didn't even look exhausted but he would be soon. For any other herbivore, Hibari would have bitten them to death. However, he refrained himself for the small animal as he was not in a correct shape to fight back –or at least, avoid.

Students were coming toward them, forced to pass by the gates to access to the building. They stared fearfully at the raven prefect, completely ignoring the brunet or shooting him disgusted looks. Hibari felt his irritation growing as his hands twitched, eager to grab the hidden tonfas.

"Infirmary, small animal." He finally ordered Tsuna while arranging his uniform. "Don't be late to class and come at lunch."

The brunet nodded without a word, his eyebrows frowning slightly.

* * *

When the nurse heard the door opening, she didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. She heaved a sigh and rumbled through her stuff.

"What is it this time?" She asked tiredly.

There was a nervous laugh.

"H-Hello, Ishika-san." Tsuna greeted her while moving to sit on one of the few chairs. "I think my right ankle is sprained."

"Did you trip again?"

Ishika turned to him, her eyes automatically scanning his petite form in search of another injury. It wouldn't be the first time he tried to hide them, leaving her to treat the major ones while ignoring the others. She knew he had quite an amazing pain tolerance for a boy of his age but it didn't mean that he could avoid treatment. Taking what she needed, she knelt in front of him, getting to work.

"You're not hiding any other injury from me, are you?" She carried on.

He simply smiled softly, as if to ease her worries. Usually, she would relax upon seeing it. She couldn't help it. There was something within Tsuna that left her warm and content, as if she had come home, sipping a mug of hot chocolate settled on her couch within a cocoon of blankets while reading a good book. Comfy. Homely. She didn't understand why the teen would bring such images and feelings but she didn't mind. It was peaceful. Honestly, she didn't understand how he could be bullied. He certainly did not deserve it. However, all of her attempts to help the boy had met a shocking resistance from both students and teachers. The administration was useless, not caring at all about the situation. It was so frustrating. All she could do was to keep her door open for him if he needed a break or a safe heaven. And he came sometimes which would lead them to discuss and chatter to the point that their relation was more a friendly one than a nurse/patient one.

Even that would be taken away from him.

"I-is something wrong Ishika-san?" Tsuna suddenly asked in the silence.

Startled, the nurse rose her head. She was always surprised by his sensitivity over people's emotions, or was it intuition? Either way, the teen always seemed to know when something was bothering her. He would ask and listen to her, offering advice when he could or simply comforting her by his presence. She stared at him, a kind smile on her lips. In these special moments, she tended to forget that Tsuna was only thirteen. Then again, he had quite his share of problems.

That was why she couldn't relax. She sighed again, sitting in front of him.

"Tsuna, I'm sorry but I've been transferred. I will leave Namimori in a few weeks."

The brunet immediately understood. That meant that the nursery would be taken over by a stranger, someone who wouldn't offer him a safe place. That also meant that one of his only friends was leaving away from him. He could feel his mood dropped drastically but managed to keep his smile on. However, Ishika was not fooled.

"Don't worry, Tsuna." She soon said while taking one of his hands to squeeze it. "Even if I'm not here, I'm still your friend so if you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me, all right?"

"Yes." He replied softly, squeezing back. "I know."

She would also make sure to persuade her replacement to keep the nursery open and safe for the brunet. She did not want him to be left alone without any hiding place from his bullies. Oh, she knew that he was friend –kind of- with the scary raven prefect of the Disciplinary Committee. However, the Skylark couldn't be here all the time to protect Tsuna. She would be more at ease if she knew that even if the teen lost one of his allies in school, he would still have a place to relax.

Glancing at the clock, she helped the brunet to stand. She cursed inwardly, knowing she couldn't do much. She couldn't lend him a crutch or else his bullies would use it to hit him.

It was so fucked up.

"Come on, go to class." She nudged him toward the door. "We can talk later, okay?"

"S-sure." He answered with a forced smile.

He then waved at her and left, letting Ishika alone in the room with her worries.

* * *

When Tuna entered his classroom, he knew that his desk wasn't there. His classmates were literally irradiating smugness and self-contentment with such mischief that the brunet could not miss it. Sighing inwardly, he returned in the corridor. It wasn't the first time it had happened. So, he had learnt how to deal with it. He went quietly into the nearest cupboard, closing the door behind him. There, he felt the presence of an old soul -a human turned yuurei- who couldn't resolve to quit the school. After all, the barriers prevented any intrusion but didn't affect those who were already there.

"H-hello Nishioka-san." Tsuna greeted the being.

"Yes, your desk and chair are here." Said Nishioka replied in a distant voice as if he was far away even if he was simply just in front of the human. "One day you will have to fight back. You have the power to do so."

"I won't." The brunet assured him while retrieving what he needed. "I won't hurt them."

"They are hurting you." The ghost argued. "By letting them doing so, they won't stop. You'll only know pain because of them."

"T-thanks for worrying about me." Tsuna replied softly with a small smile, completely avoiding the point. "Class will be starting shortly. See you later."

"Let me help you." Nishioka sighed.

The teen hesitated.

"T-that will only tire you." He protested. "You'll need to focus to grab it and…"

The glare he received successfully shut him up. They lifted both the desk and the chair, moving carefully to avoid bumping into others students. Tsuna knew that if he had the luck to touch them or even graze them, he would suffer some beatings at his next pause. Nishioka was equally aware of it and proceeded to be extra careful. He regularly played pranks on the bullies when Tsuna wasn't around but it was not enough to make them stop. The ghost didn't want to turn evil so he refrained himself from going too far such as hurting them badly or killing them. Sometimes, he wished he could do it though.

They managed to get to class before the teacher. Nishioka guided the brunet toward his place while warning the teen of anything that could hurt him or that he could bump into. Once settled, Tsuna turned toward Nishioka with a grateful smile knowing better than to speak. His desk neighbor chose this moment to blink awake and thinking that the brunet was smiling at him returned the gesture without thinking. Tsuna noticed it and greeted him nervously, knowing that he was the only one able to sense the ghost. Nishioka waved a hand before vanishing in order to appear somewhere else in the school.

"H-hello Ya-yamamoto-san."

"Yo Dame-Tsuna!" The raven hair boy replied cheerfully, making Tsuna flinch. "Hahahaha, class hasn't started but I feel already sleepy."

"I-is that so?" The brunet muttered, clearly uncomfortable.

Yamamoto Takeshi noticed it but brushed it off. He thought it was probably because they rarely talked to each other. In fact, he had been quite surprised upon seeing his shy classmate smile to him. Well, he didn't mind talking to him as he was quite a quiet guy who didn't bother him and didn't place his expectations on him. Yeah, the brunet simply left him alone. Tsuna scratched his cheek, unsure on what to do next. He knew that Yamamoto wasn't as cheerful as he looked. In fact, he could tell by his tone of voice that all of his joy was forced so his smiles were probably faked too. The raven teen literally irradiated frustration and loneliness despite having friends and baseball teammates. Even though the boy had just called him "Dame", Tsuna couldn't help but slightly worry. Negative emotions could lead to dangerous and regretful situations.

"S-say Ya-yamamoto-san, a-are you okay?" He asked in an unexpected moment of courage, probably born from the knowledge that his desk neighbor had never risen a hand against him.

Yamamoto blinked in surprise before narrowing his eyes for a moment.

"Of course I'm okay!" He answered with a forced smile. "Why would I not be?"

He finished his question with an easy-going laugh.

"Y-you don't s-sound like it." Tsuna replied, looking a little bit scared by his classmate's possible reaction.

Yamamoto froze. He didn't sound like it? He made sure each morning to maintain his façade in order to fool everyone, including his father who was the one knowing him best. No one should be able to pierce his defenses and certainly not Dame-Tsuna.

"I'm perfectly fine." He retorted quite harshly, making the other shrink into his seat.

The teacher came on these words, saving the brunet from formulating a reply. He couldn't hide his relief even if he was still worried. He forced himself to follow the lesson in order to get a hold on his thoughts.

As soon as the bell for lunch rang, Tsuna grabbed his stuff to shove them into his bag. He was at the door before any of his bullies could catch him. He hurried as fast as he could, ignoring his pain. It would be worse if he was caught. On his way, he met Kusakabe Tetsuya who greeted him. Noticing his lumping, he lent his shoulder without a word to guide him toward the Disciplinary Committee's room.

"T-thank you Tetsuya-san." Tsuna smiled gratefully at him.

"It's fine, Tsuna-san." The teen with a pompadour haircut replied respectfully.

He quietly opened the door, knowing that his boss appreciated peace and silence. Kyouya didn't acknowledge their presence –knowing who had come in- and focused on his last paperwork. Tsuna sat on one of the sofa, deciding to patiently wait. Tetsuya prepared tea for the brunet and the raven before excusing himself and leaving for a patrol. When Tsuna heard the pen clicking on the wood desk, he knew that his friend had finished. He grabbed his bag to take out two bento boxes, a purple and an orange one. He stood up to hand over the purple one to the prefect who accepted it with a nod, used to get lunch thanks to the brunet. They shared a moment of peace while eating.

Tsuna sipped his tea after putting away the empty bento boxes. Kyouya stood with a piece of paper in his hand that he held to the brunet. Placing his cup on the coffee table in front of him, he took it and let his hands slid on the writing, focusing on his touch sense. The raven teen observed him quietly. He was always a little bit impressed to see this small animal read documents this way. Tsuna suddenly frowned, folding the paper neatly.

"I-it's another job." He quietly stated, lifting his head to face the prefect. "It takes place in Namimori."

Kyouya's eyes narrowed slightly, watching as the brunet stood and put away the paper in his bag. They both knew that the bell would soon ring, alerting the students to attend their classes. The raven teen let the small animal go, aware that he would take care of it after school. He learned long ago that he wasn't the only one to protect Namimori -his territory, his town- even if they didn't share the same issues. Some could only be entrusted to the brunet as the prefect couldn't act upon them. Before it frustrated him to no end but now, he got used to it, morphing his previous frustration into slight irritation. As Tsuna reached the door he suddenly paused, turning to the town protector.

"A carnivore has come in Namimori." He warned his friend. "I think you will meet him soon enough without looking for him."

Kyouya merely rose an eyebrow, letting the brunet go.

* * *

As soon as the bell announcing the end of the day rang, Tsuna darted toward the door. He snatched on his way the homework sheet on the English teacher's desk. He shoved it inside his bag as he lifted it on his shoulder. In the hallway, he crashed into Tetsuya's chest who stabilized him to prevent him to meet the floor once again.

"I'll help you to get outside the school, Tsuna-san." The teen announced firmly.

The brunet didn't protest and chose to instead smile gratefully. Kusakabe Tetsuya mused once again why on earth was this kind boy bullied? He didn't look able to hurt anyone and even if that was the case, he would certainly not do it. Oh, he was aware of the rumors about him, about his nicknames such as Dame-Tsuna, Freak-Tsuna or Tsuna the Liar. Frankly, it greeted Tetsuya's nerves –which was worrisome as he was one of the few able to deal peacefully with _Hibari_ as his vice-leader and his best friend with a great amount of patience. He also was the one to hold back the prefect when he was pissed and inching to bite everyone to death. It was not wise to get on his bad side as he could mysteriously disappear or ignore the students' pleas when Kyouya got a little bit too violent. Thinking about the bullies that definitely deserved it -but were still off the hook thanks to _Tsuna-,_ made his hold on the brunet's waist and arm tighten. The fact that the younger teen didn't flinch only caused his face to darken more.

They walked through the crowd easily enough. Well, being escorted by a member of the Disciplinary Committee definitely helped. Thus they reached the gates without troubles, spotting Kyouya watching over the leaving students. Tetsuya suddenly caught glimpse of some bullies and decided to follow Tsuna a little longer to prevent him from being attacked on his way home. He knew that the prefect wouldn't punish him for doing it as his leader had already done so before.

The brunette, of course, knew the reasons that had pushed Tetsuya to act like this. He had sensed their presence as he was used to meet them in quite a painful way. It was almost instinctual how he was able to tell when he was near them. He was thankful for Tetsuya to offer his help, to feel this anger and to worry, but he would not let him be too close. In the end, it would be too dangerous for him –and not because of the bullies. When they reached Tsuna's street, the brunet smiled softly to his helper.

"T-thank you, Tetsuya-san."

He then quickly bowed and left without waiting for an answer, guessing that the other would simply go back to Kyouya or patrol around.

Tsuna took out his keys to unlock the front door. He locked behind him without waiting, remembering some bad incidents.

"I'm ho-"

He cut himself, pausing in his movements. There was another presence in the house, a foreign one. He slowly took off his shoes and put as silently as possible his bag on the floor. He focused on the sounds, hearing the soft shuffling of the bakenekos in the living-room, surrounding the extra soul. Kage-chan was suddenly near him, a little bit in front of him. Tsuna took a deep breath, recognizing his unexpected guest.

"W-who's there?" He asked without moving, his hands twitching as he if wanted to take out his protecting talisman.

He did not, knowing that they would be useless against a human. His senses picked the sound of almost near silent footsteps approaching him, followed by five supernatural cats. His form tensed when he felt the dark presence stopped in front of him. It was impressive, suffocating to be so near as if the darkness that seemed attached to it would suddenly attack him. He unconsciously took a step back and he shrunk, wishing he could just blend within the door. Knowing that escape wasn't an option even if he couldn't help himself to place a hand on the door handle, he braced himself for whatever was going to happen.

"Ciaossu." The terrifying presence greeted in a high-pitched voice that startled the brunet in its unexpectedness. "I'm Reborn, the home tutor."

Silence fell. Usually that would be the moment his interlocutor stared in disbelief and commented on how it was impossible for a baby to teach anything. Reborn was kind of used to it –annoyed and amused at the same time when witnessing the reactions- so he was a little bit curious to observe Sawada Tsunayoshi's next move. He knew the boy was blind and kept his eyes closed. He was not to judge by appearance then. However, maybe hearing the infant's voice would trigger something. In fact, he had been a little bit surprised and a tiny bit impressed that the teen could have been able to sense his presence upon entering his house. He even knew when Reborn was in the same room as him. At least, his senses were sharper than the usual average boy.

Reborn tilted his fedora up, noticing the black cat near the brunet. So, it belonged to the brat. He reported his attention to his new student to decipher his thoughts –or at least, his emotions. The eyes were usually the most expressive way to reveal one's emotions, as they were reflecting the soul as the saying went. Of course, to correctly read someone, it was necessary to pay attention to every twitch, frown and almost every invisible movements of the body. However since the principal way to show hidden emotions and thoughts was the eyes, it was a little bit harder to read someone who kept its own closed. The infant noticed the skin paling and the twitch of one of his eyebrow. Surprised maybe?

"N-nice to m-meet you." Tsuna finally said in the tensed silence. "I'm Sawada Tsu-tsunayoshi but p-please call me Tsuna."

There was wariness and fear in his voice. Reborn noticed it straight away as well as the fact that the brunet hadn't moved nor offered his arm for a handshake. If possible, he seemed to wish to be able to disappear within the door behind him or to bolt outside far away. His form was so tensed the infant half-expected him to creak at his next move.

The black cat suddenly mewled, giving the brat a regal stare. Tsuna slightly relaxed and detached himself from the door.

"W-would you like a cup of tea?" He asked politely Reborn, deciding to have some better manners. "Or s-some coffee, p-perhaps?" He added as an afterthought.

Satisfied to be treated as the adult he was despite his appearance, Reborn smirked.

"Some coffee would be perfect."

The brunet invited him to go ahead, guessing that his new tutor had already inspected the house. He didn't need the bakeneko to tell him to know it. Kage-chan led the way confidently, sure that the tiny human wasn't able to determine what she really was. The infant took notice that the teen stayed a few feet behind him, clearly not enjoying the idea of turning his back to him. Good. He shouldn't trust strangers, especially when they broke into his house. However, judging by his steps, he was injured.

Reborn hopped on the table as he watched the brunet busying himself. Soon enough he placed a cup of dark coffee in front of the infant while sitting cross-legged in front of him. The bakeneko settled in a circle around their guest to keep an eye on him as the nekomata jumped on the brunet's lap.

"Mom s-should be c-coming soon." Tsuna quietly stated while sipping his green tea.

On cue, the door could be heard to let a peaceful and bright presence enter followed by a sweet scent.

"I'm home, Tsu-kun!" Nana called, turning to lock the door.

"Welcome home." Her son replied from the kitchen.

She noticed the absence of the bakeneko who would usually come to greet her, at least one of them. She momentarily paused, taking in the tense atmosphere as well as the uneasy silence. She hesitated an instant to call one of her shiki before she realized that the cats were probably with Tsuna, protecting him. Her grip on her handbag tightened as she went into the kitchen.

The sight that welcomed her made her eyes widen. There was an infant on the table, wearing a black suit and a dark fedora with a green lizard on top of it, quietly drinking his coffee. His eyes that seemed completely black glanced at her blankly before staring back at Tsuna.

"Mom, this is Reborn-san, my home tutor." Her son presented. "Reborn-san, this is my mother, Sawada Nana."

Said Reborn nodded at her respectfully with a tip on his hat while noticing that his student's stutter had suddenly disappeared. She automatically smiled, used to play oblivious. She put her bag on the floor, clasping her hands together with a short giggle.

"Hello Reborn-kun, it's nice to meet you." She greeted while getting behind her son without showing even once her back to the infant.

Her fingers briefly touched one of her bracelets, a simple copper one with what seemed to be writings. One of her hands grabbed a kitchen knife and she began to hum lightly as if pondering. Reborn slightly tensed, eyeing her moves.

"Since we're three now, I should start getting dinner-"

"Mom." Tsuna interrupted her softly. "I think you should sit down."

Nana paused and leaned against the counter. She still had a hold on the knife as she gazed evenly at her son and the infant, the same smile on her lips. The brunet didn't insist and chose to pull a chair beside him if she needed it. He turned then to Reborn, wiggling his nose thoughtfully. On his lap, Kage-chan rose to stare at the infant as if to assess him. The bakeneko crept closer, clearly distrusting. Deciding that being blunt would probably be the most effective way –instead of the safest but well-, Tsuna gulped down his tea.

"I'm sorry b-but I would l-like to know the r-real reason of your v-venue, Reborn-san." The teen quickly began, failing to hide his nervousness as he shuffled his hair with a slight trembling hand. "I-I mean your s-sole presence breathes in d-danger and s-something else, s-something heavier…"

He trailed off, pondering about his feelings. He couldn't pinpoint it which was kind of frustrating.

"A-anyways," he carried on, deciding to think about it later, "Would y-you please t-tell us why y-you're here?"

The infant tilted his fedora down, remembering his orders. He had planned to reveal a part of the truth to his soon-to-be student and, on Iemitsu's pleas, to leave Nana in the dark. However, if the brat had awoken his Hyper Intuition, lying bluntly would be useless. First, it would not be believed. Secondly, he would lose any way to form a trust bond with the brunet. That would be quite unfortunate as a student needed to know that he could rely on his tutor's advices to progress and grow. Still, he wondered silently if he should really talk about the Mafia to Nana. According to what he had seen, she was far from oblivious or harmless despite Iemitsu's thoughts. It was even possible that she had already crossed path with others Mafiosi…

"If i-it's something dangerous o-or _worse_ , then I t-think my mother should know a-as she is c-concerned as well." Tsuna suddenly spoke up, bringing the infant's attention back to him.

He noticed the horrified look that crossed his face as if the teen was terrified by his own words. A resigned determination settled in his frown lips soon enough. Reborn silently mused. Was it resolve?

"Alright." He finally agreed, flicking up his fedora, a habit he had to stare straight in the eyes of his interlocutor.

Since his student kept his eyes closed all the time, it failed which irked him a bit. That was something he would have to correct along with his stutter.

"I'm a hitman sent by the Ninth Generation leader of Vongola, known as Nono, to train you to be able to take care of yourself."

He paused then to watch their reactions. Tsuna didn't even twitch, simply waiting for him to elaborate. Nana, however, had paled drastically. She sat slowly beside her son, putting the knife in front of her. Sensing her distress, the brunet shoved Kage-chan on her lap to give her some comfort.

"Why?" The teen simply asked.

"You're linked to the most important Famiglia in the Mafia so it was decided that you should be trained for your own safety."

The hitman didn't add that Nono's current son, Enrico, was hunting down every potential heir to assure his own position as the next boss. Due to the lack of evidence, the brat was still off the hook. If he managed to find the Sawadas, he would not hesitate to kill them. Thus, Nono had asked Reborn to help Tsuna to gather his own guardians and to control his Flames, but secretly and as inconspicuously as possible. Sawada Tsunayoshi was all but a trumped card for Nono and Iemitsu who were waiting for any opportunity to push away Enrico. In other words, the infant had been sent to teach the brunet how to be a mafia boss.

"The Mafia." Said teen repeated blankly. "Of all things, it had to be that." He muttered quietly without meaning to be heard.

Nana stroke the cat's fur with one hand while searching Tsuna's arm with the other. He grabbed it and squeezed lightly to comfort her with a gentle smile.

"You're not asking me how?" Reborn asked but it was more a statement.

"Iemitsu is the c-connection, isn't he?" The brunet retorted without missing a beat while nodding to himself. "I-it wasn't complicated to f-find out. H-he's never h-here and he s-sucks in building r-reasonable and believable l-lies."

"He's the leader of the CEDEF, the External Adviser of Nono." Reborn confirmed and agreed inwardly with his student's opinion. "To put it simply, it is an independent and intelligent branch. While CEDEF members are linked to Vongola, they are not under its authority."

"S-so Iemitsu belonged to the CEDEF but n-not to Vongola." The boy summarized. "It is e-either one or the o-other."

His mood darkened. He couldn't believe that this poor excuse of a father had managed to bring another mess to them. Tsuna had soon learned that Iemitsu was in some troublesome and dangerous business. That was certainly the main reason of his absence and silence. However, that didn't change the fact that he had abandoned Nana and him. Plus, they had been targeted in the past and had managed to survive only thanks to the Hibaris. Yes, Iemitsu had poorly tried to protect them but he had so remarkably failed that Tsuna didn't –couldn't- respect him, much less love him. His mother had been suffering because of him for years now. If the brunet sensed his presence, the CEDEF leader was up for a really big surprise.

"Tsu-kun…"

Nana's call snapped him out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath in order to calm down.

"I'm okay, Mom."

He was more worried for her in fact. She had been the one to hope, to see Iemitsu as a better man, to wait patiently for him, to endure everything and anything while believing that it was okay, that she wouldn't be alone. And yet, here was a horrible and new situation, linked to him –and thanks kami he wasn't the cause of it or Tsuna didn't know what he would have done-, and it was not the man himself who came to explain things but a stranger, a dangerous hitman who had showed more interest for them than Iemitsu had ever done. The brunet couldn't imagine how she could feel. Heartbroken? Angry? Disgusted? In pain? Shocked? The sudden intake of air coming from her startled him slightly.

"Tsu-kun?" She repeated with an almost imperceptible emphasis.

He understood immediately. He turned to Reborn who had simply watched them and witnessed their total lack of surprise, silently wondering if there was more to it. The teen's attention was focused on the bakenekos however as he calmly said.

"It's okay, Reborn-san isn't an enemy."

As soon as his words escaped his mouth, the spiritual cats left the kitchen, treating the tiny human as furniture. Nana started to hum cheerfully as if a switch had been activated. Her usual bright smile came back on her lips. Knowing what she would do, Kage-chan jumped on the floor, allowing the woman to grab the knife and prepare dinner. Tsuna stayed put for a little while, listening to her. Her oblivious manners back, he guessed that she was okay for the moment, simply letting the information sinking in and sorting out her feelings later. Hearing Reborn shifting, the brunet immediately brought back his attention on him. The infant hopped down on the floor and turned toward his new student.

"You have homework, Tsuna, don't you?"

The brunet nodded and stood, taking away their dishes to bring them to the sink. He then went upstairs carefully because of his ankle, tripping on his way but managing to catch himself before harshly meeting the floor. He opened the door of his bedroom before remembering that he had left his bag in the hall. He quickly went downstairs which caused him to fall down some steps, as well as aggravating his pain. Meanwhile Reborn entered the teen's room to observe it. It was neat and clean, and also a little bit unusual. The hitman had noticed that every room in the house had, at least, one talisman stuck near a window or a door, except in the bedrooms which presented four of them in each four points of the compass. Seeing that, he had assumed that the family was quite superstitious. However, when he saw the small altar on a high shelf in the teen's room, his opinion changed. Well, it wasn't his business if his student believed in deities as long as it didn't hinder his own plans. He paused in front of it, inspecting it. In front of the small shrine there was a small mirror, on either side of which there were two small lanterns and a sprig of sakaki, while above and across the length of the shelf a straw rope with small paper pendants was stretched. The infant could see that it was taken care of with special care to keep it clean and –probably- unpolluted. For one instant, he wondered who tidied it. Was it really the boy? There were no offerings though, which wasn't surprising since it was usually offered on mornings and later used for meals. Apart from the altar, the room was exceptionally colorful, offering splatters of colors on the walls and the ceiling. There was also a simple bed, a desk with its chair, some others full shelves and a small but good hi-fi system.

Reborn picked up a random book and was surprised –if not shocked- to see that it was a foreign one, an Italian normal one. Taking a quick look around, he even found that a great part of the books were in another language –English, French, Italian and a few Chinese- among some Japanese Braille. He tipped his fedora down, letting Leon crawled on his arm. How could a blind boy read books that weren't in Braille? Was the information wrong? Was Iemitsu _that_ wrong about his family? His mood darkened drastically as his irritation turned into annoyance, almost anger. Leon sensed his emotions and automatically transformed into a green gun, revealing his nature of shape-shifter.

Tsuna with his unfortunate timing chose that exact instant to walk in. Feeling a shift in the air, he froze instantly. His intuition was acting up, whispering quietly that something dangerous was about to happen. A sudden pain in his left cheek informed him that something small and really fast had just grazed him. Startled, he jumped away, letting his bag go. He immediately stilled, focusing on his hearing and his scent in search for any hostile presence.

"Dame-Tsuna, open your eyes."

The cold command sent fearful shivers down the brunet's spine. There was anger and suspicion in this voice. He didn't need his instincts or whatever to tell him that if he didn't obey right now, he would be in serious troubles. He slowly opened his eyes, hoping that it would be enough to ease his tutor.

Reborn silently cursed when his dark orbs met warm caramel ones. They were lively and expressive –completely different from blind ones- but the pupils were almost nonexistent. Constant orange flashes overwhelmed the original color in a proof of the Hyper Intuition acting up. Confusion and fear were written all over his face. Reborn rose his green gun to point it on the boy who didn't even blink. Tsuna simply stared nervously, silently wondering what the heck was happening. A bullet was suddenly fired with almost no sound thanks to the silencer. Still, Tsuna heard it and frowned in confusion, unable to catalog it, before another identical pain bloomed in his other cheek. He brushed his fingers against his injury and licked them. He recognized blood and made a grimace when tasting the weird taste of salt and rust.

"You really can't see, then."

Tsuna flinched away at these words, closing his eyes in reflex when he realized how close his terrifying tutor was. He didn't hear him approaching while he was focusing on his sense of taste.

"Wh-what happened?" He asked, afraid of the answer.

"I shot you." Reborn replied bluntly, letting Leon turned back into a chameleon. "For someone who can't read, you have a lot of books."

Tsuna suddenly understood. Of course the hitman would be suspicious. He didn't know anything after all. For a few seconds, the brunet wondered what he should say. He settled for the truth, or at least a part of it. After all, he wouldn't really be able to hide his unnatural sharp senses.

"I-I can read them." Tsuna assured his tutor.

With hesitant hands, he picked up slowly his bag and looked for his English worksheet. Pulling it out, he put it on the floor and smoothed it carefully. Then, he focused on his touch and began to run his fingers extremely slowly on the paper. Reborn observed him without a word. It was a simple Grammar exercise about tenses, modals and structure.

"A complex sentence is a sentence that contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause." The teen began to recite as his fingers followed the printed words. "In the complex sentence _Amy laughed when Jake fell_ , the clause _when Jake fell_ is a dependent clause because it is preceded by the word _when_ , which is a subordinating conjunction."

He paused and slightly withdrew, letting Reborn looked at the sheet. It was exactly what the brunet had said.

"I-I can read." Tsuna repeated while scratching his cheek nervously, causing some blood to drop. "If i-it's printed, I c-can read but it's easier with handwriting."

Since the ink wasn't completely absorbed by the paper, it stood out. Letters could be easily felt. However, when printed, words and paper were a little bit more homogeneous, especially with recent technology. Sometimes, he couldn't even decipher what was written. Thankfully, whenever youkai wanted to reach him, they either talked to him or wrote themselves their requests in their weird language. The infant narrowed his eyes. If it was true, then he had to admit that he was impressed. However, he was not one to be easily convinced. Since he had nothing to test him –the books couldn't be used since they belonged to the teen-, the hitman decided to satisfy his curiosity.

"I take it that it's not only your sense of touch, right?"

"T-that's right." Tsuna nodded. "I n-need to focus b-but it's the s-same for the o-others, except my Sight."

"That's how you were able to discern my presence earlier." Reborn stated thoughtfully.

"Y-yes but I a-also had a feeling." The brunet specified it. "Intuition, y-you can say."

Reborn fell silent for a bit. He knew that Hyper Intuition could warn his owner to any danger. Was there more to it? Was it able to sharpen senses? Nono also had it but he never showed superior senses, just quick reflexes born from it. Did Tsuna have a stronger Hyper Intuition or did his senses increase because of his blindness? Was it both? Well, if the teen was actually telling the truth. The hitman however doubted that his student was able to lie. He was simply too easy to read. So if it was really Hyper Intuition, how was he able to wake it? Did he encounter a life-or-death situation before? When and how? Reborn inwardly sighed and lifted his fedora up, watching the brunet working.

"You have five minutes to complete the sheet." He announced suddenly, making the other flinch. "I need to evaluate your level in all the languages you had begun to learn."

"B-but!"

"Do it, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn ordered with a warning shot coming from one of his normal guns.

The teen screeched while ducking in reflex. He grabbed his sheet and sat on his chair hurriedly, trying to finish his homework as fast as possible.

After some shouts, shots and screeches, Reborn finally managed to determine quite a few things. First, the brunet was able to handle conversations in European languages but his Chinese was worse than horrible. Seeing this curiosity for languages, the hitman aimed to a higher level, including others languages that the brunet would have to learn to speak fluently. Secondly, his student's grades were actually slightly better than he expected. Excellent in English, his rank was average for Japanese Literature and History, and he was simply catastrophic for Math and Science. These ones would be the most difficult to teach but Reborn being Reborn, nothing was impossible. Thirdly, his body was in a better shape than expected. Because of the bullies, Tsuna was quite resistant to pain. Used to being chased, his speed and stamina were constantly increasing. However, he was far behind Reborn's criteria and the hitman would gladly change this fact. As his ankle was sprained, he would have to wait a little to really begin to train him though.

It was decided that it was a good moment for a pause when Nana called them for dinner. Reborn went downstairs first, meeting Kage-chan who entered into Tsuna's room.

"It's time?" He whispered while taking her into his arms.

"Yeah. I've warned Nana earlier." The nekomata replied, settling down comfortably. "Let's go, cub."

Tsuna silently opened his window, carefully went down, hiding a wince when his feet touched the ground, and disappeared into the streets. In the kitchen, Reborn suddenly lifted his head, startled. His student's presence had vanished. He excused himself to Nana and quickly went upstairs, missing the knowing glint in her eyes. Opening the bedroom's door, he noticed a piece of paper stuck between the glass and the ledge of the window.

 _I'll be right back._

Reborn tilted his fedora down and decided to let his student go for this time. It would give him time to decide how and when he would tell the brunet about the Blood of Vongola and Dying Will Flames. He joined Nana downstairs, already thinking about how he would punish his surprising student.

* * *

 **A/N**

First chapter ! Don't hesitate to review to express likes, dislikes, questions, or to point out my mistakes =)

See you next chapter~


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

 **Warnings:** AU (sort of) / No beta

 **Rating:** T (for language and violence that will appear later)

 **A/N:** I've just noticed but in fact, it already diverges from the manga (XD) and it will continue to do so.  
I would like to thank you for the reviews and for those who chose to follow/fav this story =3  
They are reeeaaaally good motivations \^o^/  
I'll do my best !

Ah, I use "they", "them", "their" and such for characters who didn't have a specific genre, well, let's say I use them as neutral pronouns.

Hope you'll enjoy!

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Chapter 2

"Hurry up cub."

"I can't Kage-chan. My ankle is sprained. It's good that I can even walk like this." He huffed while rolling his eyes.

The cat jumped from his arms to land gracefully on the ground. She picked up his pace easily, guiding him through the streets. Tsuna suddenly wondered if he shouldn't have taken a jacket. True, the night hadn't even begun to fall and the sun offered a warm evening. However, he didn't know how long his job would take. He could finish very late –or very early depending on the point of view- and then suffered the chillness of the night. He already had a sprain; it wouldn't do him any good to get a cold on top of it.

Delicious scents and chatters came to him as he walked down a popular street. Tsuna got a little closer to Kage-chan while burying his hands into his jean pockets. He wasn't good in crowds for two major reasons. One, he was quickly overwhelmed by what he heard, felt and breathed which caused him to feel nauseous. Two, he was shy with strangers as he didn't know how to interact correctly. Even if he knew that being polite was usually good enough with adults, his tendency to stutter could sometimes annoy his interlocutors. Afraid to cause that, the brunet had taken the habit to avoid people and stay silent as long as possible. He had enough bad experiences to react so.

Tsuna wished he could hurry in order to get away as soon as possible. If only he hadn't this injury…

"Where was it again?"

Kage-chan's question snapped him out of his thoughts.

"It should be near…" He mumbled while taking out a piece of paper.

It was the one Kyouya had given him earlier. His fingers brushed the handwriting briefly, verifying one again the address. They stopped in front of an abandoned small building. It had only four stories and judging by the black scars, one of them had known a fire. They entered with little problems, considering that there wasn't any door left. Tsuna twitched his nose in disgust when sniffing some particular and displeasing odors. Thankfully, they were faded because of their age, dating from days ago. Kage-chan had jumped to curl around his neck, stating that there was no way she was going to walk in this filth. The brunet didn't mind her added weight and instead draw some comfort from her warmth.

"So, who's the lost one?" The nekomata asked.

"I think his name is Ue." Tsuna answered while opening his eyes.

"Sure and his friend's name is Shita." Kage-chan deadpanned. (*)

"You mean the client? No, he calls himself Katsu." The brunet frowned suddenly, sensing the presence of a youkai upstairs and wondering if it was said Ue.

"Yeah, I bet they are known as the Kikatsu duo." She replied with a sarcastic voice.

"What?" Tsuna whispered in confusion before his mind clicked. "Come on, Kage-chan, you know that youkai don't give their real names to others."

"That doesn't mean that they know how to pick good names." She retorted.

"Do I have to remind you that when we met, you didn't give me any names? I had to call you "cat-san" or "youkai-san" until you let me pick a nickname. At least, Katsu-san facilitates my task."

"It would have been difficult to convince your client's friend that you were an ally if you didn't know how to call him." She pointed out.

The teen simply rolled his eyes.

"I'm quite surprised to find no squatters here." He commented as his eyes swept the hall.

He didn't sense any human presences and didn't spot any human flames either. Kage-chan had explained to him that these flames, called Dying Will Flames, belonged only to humans. Being alive for centuries and invisible for the most, she had been able to quickly gain precious information. Knowledge that she graciously gave to her new friend (toy): Tsuna.

"I'm not." Kage-chan said, rising her head to stare at the ceiling as if she was able to see through it. "There's an Uwan at the last floor."

"So that's them that I sensed." Tsuna mused out loud. "They are unusually silent for a loud youkai."

"Either they know who we are and they're trying to be discreet, or they're sleeping. After all, I didn't mask my presence."

"Speaking of that, can you find Ue-san? I can't." He muttered, frustrated.

"What did your client say exactly?" The nekomata asked thoughtfully.

"Katsu-san said that his friend had smelled a good scent that had led him here. Since then, Katsu-san hadn't been able to find him, even when he came here to look for Ue-san."

"He's definitely here." She confirmed. "You can't locate him because this idiot had fallen into a trap."

"A trap?" Tsuna repeated. "You mean an exorcist had captured him?"

"Exorcist or priest, I don't know. Fact is that he's stuck."

"What am I looking for?" The brunet asked, resigned to stay the whole night to find Ue-san before whoever had imprisoned him.

"A pot, a box, a container, anything really." She answered with a bored tone. "If he had been drawn here by a scent, then there's a lure somewhere near the seal."

"Like what?"

She slapped his cheek with her tails. Tsuna hid a wince, feeling his cut irritated. He touched it lightly in order to determine if blood was oozing out. He grimaced when some of the red liquid ran down his skin. It was never a good idea for him to bleed. It was crazy the number of youkai who were attracted to it.

"Figure it out yourself, lazy cub." She huffed, slightly annoyed. "You'll never learn if I do all the work."

Tsuna sighed but didn't complain, used to her antics. Instead he pondered over the matter, closing his eyes per habit. Usually, it was to keep him from being distracted from the flames surrounding him or to simply rest. It was mentally tiring to notice and observe all changes happening in one's flames. He could read a lot into them, sometimes learning unwanted things about others, such as their happiness, their sadness or their pain. Especially their pain. Everyone suffered one way or another from one thing or another, and to witness and know that he was generally powerless to help them made his heart clenched. That was one of the main reasons that pushed him to keep his eyes closed. He didn't want to see because even though he was blind, he still saw too much.

Thankfully, youkai and humans were different. While he couldn't see ayakashi and the likes, he could still sense their presence and their power. It was enough for him. He didn't want to know more.

When he wasn't distracted by his Sight, he was by his thoughts. Once again, Kage-chan gave an irritated huff and slapped his cheeks. She knew him enough to recognize his contemplative silences.

"Concentrate." She ordered sternly. "And keep your eyes open. We never know when you can be attacked, especially with you bleeding."

"Whose fault is that?" He grumbled with a wince. "It burned."

"It's a bullet wound." She pointed out with a condescending tone. "Of course it burned."

"Maybe I should have treated them before leaving." He suddenly mused.

She let out an exasperated sigh. Tsuna really needed to learn to focus. He was too easily distracted. That could be dangerous for him in perilous situations.

"Is blood a good lure?" He asked out of the blue, jumping from one thought to another.

"If it's recent, sure it is." She asked without hesitation. "Yours, for example, would be excellent at this job. Small fries and big shots would certainly come."

"That doesn't please me one bit." He paled quickly.

"However, if this Ue likes blood enough to risk himself into another ayakashi's territory, you shouldn't free him." She carried on, ignoring him.

"Why?"

"What do you think?" Kage-chan retorted, rising her head to observe his expressions. "Why would it be a bad idea?"

"It would be dangerous?" Tsuna replied with a slight hesitation.

"Why would it be?" She was practically dragging his answers but she didn't mind much.

It was necessary for him to understand. If he could comprehend how delicious he was to youkai –especially when he was showing weaknesses and injuries were weaknesses-, he would be more careful and wary. Hopefully. However, as she watched him closely, she could already tell that it was a lost cause. He was way too naïve to completely grasp all implications.

"After being freed from his prison, he would be angry and hungry." He began slowly, finally realizing where his furry friend was pointed at. "He would probably attack me for these reasons. Since I'm bleeding a little bit, he will be tempted to do so."

"Not probably." She corrected him. "He would certainly do so."

"But-"

"No buts." She sent him a stern look that he couldn't see but he felt it nonetheless. "If he's dangerous, I will not let you free him."

"It's my job, Kage-chan." Tsuna reminded her gently. "I accepted Katsu-san request by taking and reading his letter. Now, I have to find his friend."

The nekomata didn't say anything, choosing to sigh instead. Really, despite everything the boy went through, he never changed. She kind of wished he never would. She really liked this Tsuna and wouldn't want him to lose his kind heart or his compassion. However, she was a little bit afraid; afraid that precisely because he was still that same gentle boy, he would end up spirited away, eaten or _worse_. She snapped out of her thoughts when Tsuna continued talking:

"So, if Ue-san hasn't been lured by blood, any kind of food can work, right? After all, you like eating meals with Mom and me, don't you?"

"That's true." She recognized. "Even though we preferred to absorb your spiritual energy, we can enjoy human meals."

"That's so weird when you phrase it like that." He commented with a short laugh, earning a slap for his cheekiness. "I mean, it's not like I feel weaken by it or anything."

"That's because you have a crazy amount of spiritual energy in you." She explained with an annoyed huff for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, yes…"He answered absent-mindedly, finally walking toward the stairs.

He doubted that the seal was in the hall. One, a human could see it and take or crush it, making it useless. Two, it wasn't the best way to trap a youkai. The biggest part of them couldn't be seen, however that didn't mean that they liked to be conspicuous. Thus, they would avoid obvious ways and went for the windows or the cracks.

Tsuna began to climb the stairs carefully, fearing that his clumsiness would kick in. Kage-chan seemed to be asleep on his shoulders, eyes closed and peaceful breaths. It was pretended of course; she wouldn't dare lowering her guard when a youkai was near the brunet.

"Say, Kage-chan, do you think the Uwan can help us?" Tsuna suddenly asked.

"You won't ask them." She replied immediately. "They could easily ask for a repayment that you are not willing to pay. You're fine on your own."

"But what if Ue-san is imprisoned in their room?"

"I doubt it." She snorted. "First, if the lure was in their room, then the Uwan would be the one caught. Second, Ue-san hadn't confronted them."

"How do you know that?"

"While it's true that your client's friend had entered the Uwan's territory, there is no sign of fight around us. Trust me, if they had clashed, we would know it. Uwan can be very territorial and very violent in their way to show it."

"Then why wasn't the Uwan imprisoned? They were here before Ue-san, weren't they?"

Kage-chan shrugged, which was quite weird for a cat.

"Either they settled after Ue-san came but that's unlikely, or they didn't care for the lure. After all, Uwan prefer empty and abandoned places and will certainly not take residence in a house that smelled as if a youkai had passed here."

"Then the lure was more likely food, no?" Tsuna mused out loud. "If it was blood, the Uwan would have left because they would have been disturbed by it, wouldn't they? Also, they would know that others ayakashi would come, so they would leave to be alone."

"Probably, yes." She confirmed while opening one of her eyes to peer at him thoughtfully. "I see that you're learning. That's good."

His cheeks actually reddened a bit, clearly not used to receive praises, no matter how small they were.

"W-well, if I'm still here, it's thanks to your advice and everything." He stuttered a little bit, clearly embarrassed but honest nonetheless.

She softened at his words, purring softly. They reached the second floor in this peaceful atmosphere before Kage-chan decided to bring back the brunet to his task.

"If I were you, I would check inside the flats and look for hidden corners."

"Yes, after all I can't use my sense of smell. It's overwhelmed by… bitter scents that I don't want to identify." He twisted his nose in disgust, unconsciously rubbing it.

Needless to say, the search was long. Since Kage-chan didn't want to leave Tsuna's shoulders, arguing that the floor was filthy –which was true- so it would dirty her paws –also true- and knowing that she would need to lick them to clean them which would lead her to, basically, lick the floor. The brunet didn't point out that she could always take a bath since she wasn't afraid of water and sometimes even enjoyed it. He wisely decided to let her act as she wished, not wanting to argue pointlessly for something like that. He searched through the second floor, finding empty and trashed flats. Thankfully, he didn't need to reach the Uwan's floor who could have reacted negatively –or not- to his presence. He found an apparently innocent grey box –if it wasn't for the written seal on top of it- in one of the apartments on the third floor. Beside it were out of date and dry meat buns.

"Judging by their shape, they've been here for a while." Kage-chan eyed them critically. "It's such a shame; I bet they are delicious usually."

"Ue-san probably shares your opinion." Tsuna commented absently as his hand ripped off the paper on the box.

The container immediately began to shake quite violently. The lid threw open, letting finally an almost imperceptible presence slipped out. On his shoulders, Tsuna heard Kage-chan stifled a laugh. Whatever appeared had apparently a funny look. He didn't think further as he suddenly felt something small crash into his legs, making him stumble. The thing hugged him tightly with surprisingly weak arms.

"Thank you!" A voice squeaked from his feet. "You have freed me, human child!"

"Ue-san?" Tsuna guessed, frozen in place, unsure on how to react.

"How did you know…?" The youkai trailed off, surprised.

"You're so tiny." Kage-chan finally snorted. "For someone who bears the name of "hunger", you're really small."

"It's not my usual form." Ue-san justified, offended. "When I'm starving, I shrunk. Otherwise, I'm tall and big, strong enough to lift the human child with two of my fingers."

"…Right." The nekomata replied in clear disbelief.

"It's true!" Ue-san insisted, finally detaching himself from Tsuna to send a glare in the cat's direction. "Ask my friend Katsu, he will confirm it to you."

"S-speaking of Katsu-san, he a-asked me to f-find you." The brunet intervened swiftly to break any future arguments.

"Katsu did?" Ue-san asked, distracted from his fight.

"Y-yes, he was w-worried."

Well, Tsuna believed so. The youkai hadn't showed up in front of him, simply sending a letter. But if he wasn't worried, he wouldn't have sought the brunet out. When Tsuna made his way toward the hallway, he noticed the hesitating sounds of Ue-san's steps. He waited outside the flat, focusing on the youkai.

"D-do you w-want me to c-carry you?" He offered kindly. "I d-don't know how l-long you've s-stayed inside t-this box, but I w-wouldn't be s-surprised if you are a l-little bit t-tired."

On his shoulders, Kage-chan huffed in exasperation. The brunet was way too nice for a youkai he had barely met. While it was true that the fry was practically harmless, he could be tempted by the blood drying on the cheeks. Glancing at the tiny youkai, she quickly understood however that despite his hunger, he would not harm Tsuna. Simply put, his gratefulness was enough to prevent him to do so. Good.

Since the nekomata was still on his shoulders, the brunet picked up Ue-san and shifted to get him comfortable, without even letting the youkai the time to react. Now, they had to meet Katsu-san. Even though his client hadn't specified where Tsuna could find him, he still had an idea. If he was wrong, he could always ask help from Ue-san who might have leads.

There was a wooden and discreet mailbox near the torii of Namimori Shrine. For the Sightless, there was no name written on it and apparently no one used it. One day, it popped up suddenly and if there were a few interrogations at the beginning, soon enough people started to forget it, already considering it as something belonging to the background. It was there but no one saw it. For the gifted however, it was different. There was a single word written on it in a language known by only youkai and a few humans. Only them knew what it was, what was its purpose and who it belonged to. It was Tsuna's box for youkai's requests. Usually it was the brunet who would look for any demands but sometimes, like earlier in this morning, Kyouya would be the one to check. After all, he was one of the few to know Tsuna's secret despite being Sightless.

Thus the brunet was kind of hoping that Katsu-san was waiting for him near the mailbox. If not, he would have to search the entire town, plus the woods and the mountain. That would be a pain. He would love to simply let Ue-san go his merry way but it was part of his job to make sure his client met with his friend. Tsuna suppressed a sigh, stepping out from the building. No longer needing his eyes, he closed them tightly.

"Night is falling." Kage-chan observed.

The brunet grimaced. Staying outside during nighttime wasn't wise for him. The probability to be attacked multiplied as soon as the sun disappeared. However, with his sprained ankle, he couldn't hurry like he wanted to. Well, at least, he didn't trip as often as he did when he walked faster with this slowed pace. The shrine wasn't so far from where they were anyway. Kage-chan rose her head to watch their surroundings, acting as a guard. Sensing the tension, Ue-san decided to stay quiet, inwardly impatient to meet again his friend. However, knowing that Tsuna was growing nervous as time passed, the nekotama glanced down.

"So, small fry, how did you manage to get captured exactly?"

"My name is Ue!" He exclaimed, offended.

She simply stared wordlessly and blankly at him, clearly implying that she didn't care.

"P-pardon her r-rudeness, she's…w-well, that t-type of person." Tsuna smiled at the youkai in his arms.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Kage-chan huffed in annoyance, slapping his cheek.

He just grinned, aware that she wasn't actually angry. At least, he wasn't as nervous as before.

"T-that p-put aside, I w-would like t-to know too." He carried on, regaining his seriousness. "W-why did y-you go into t-that flat? D-didn't the Uwan's p-presence e-encourage you to s-stay away?"

Ue shifted uncomfortably into his hold. Truth be told, he was a little bit ashamed to have been trapped so easily. It wasn't the first time that he had been sealed but usually Katsu was able to break him free soon after, when he was too hungry to do it himself. However, if it wasn't for this human child, this time, he would have been in trouble. If Katsu had to call for help; that could only mean that he hadn't been able to sense him. It was a bit worrying since his friend was skilled to track him down, used to see him disappear for one reason or another, generally because of his curiosity or his hunger.

"Katsu and I are currently traveling," he began to tell, letting his gaze wander, "we don't want to stay put in one place. In fact, we can't. There's a reason why we're called 'hunger' and 'thirst'."

"Both of you have caused famine and drought before, when you stay somewhere for too long, right?" Kage-chan guessed correctly.

"Yeah." He nodded. "We're never sated enough, constantly craving for more. So, we caused troubles whenever we remain somewhere. Thus, we decided to travel together since we're the only ones able to perfectly understand each other."

"S-so Namimori is s-simply a s-step in your j-journey, isn't it?" Tsuna asked as he climbed a small slope.

"Yes, it is." Ue confirmed. "When we arrived here, I was already hungry. Katsu was fine since he had drunk not too long ago but I needed to eat. That's why when I smelled a delicious scent, I followed its trail. It led me to the Uwan's territory but since I had already shrunk, I could be discreet. I didn't enter their room though to avoid angering them. When I saw these meat buns, I tried to take them but…" He trailed off as it was obvious how it ended.

"I get it that your stomach decides for you but why would you choose specifically these meat buns, pipsqueak?" Kage-chan asked. "You're in a town. There's plenty of choices, some far better than these."

"Like I said, my name is Ue." He insisted exasperatedly. "Well, I don't really know. When I got out of this damned box, I only saw simple meat buns. I don't understand how I could have been so drawn to them. But, you know, when I remember their smell, it was…indescribable. I couldn't ignore it. I didn't want to, in fact. All I could think was to find the source of this incredible scent to know where it came from and to eat it, of course."

Tsuna frowned as he listened, not liking it one bit. These meat buns weren't normal. It was most likely that they had been modified in order to trap youkai. It was the work of an exorcist surely. However, that didn't explain why the Uwan hadn't been affected. If it was so irresistible, why Ue-san had been the only one caught?

"Uwan don't leave their home." Kage-chan informed him as if reading his mind. "They feel hunger, yes, but they don't care about it. After all, it's not as if we could die of it."

"True." Ue-san acknowledged easily. "But it's horrible to be constantly starving."

"Perhaps it's the case for you, talking stomach." She snorted. "You're practically living for the sake of eating, especially since it strengthens you."

"I can't deny that." He admitted.

They finally reached the stairs leading to the shrine. Beside the torii and Tsuna's mailbox was an exhausted-looking youkai. Ue-san jumped from the brunet's arms, seemingly recovering all his health.

"Katsu! Katsu!" He called enthusiastically. "I'm back!"

"Welcome back." His friend replied automatically. He frowned then. "I was so worried, Ue. Don't do that again. With all this, you're still hungry, and it's worse than before too."

Standing a little bit behind, Tsuna smiled softly at the two. That was the best part of his job. Sensing the satisfaction, the sheer joy or the relief released by his clients when he managed to help them was a heartwarming sight for him. The youkai seemed to remember his presence and turned to him.

"Thank you for finding Ue, Conciliator-dono. If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to go to me." Katsu offered as he bowed.

"Mine too!" Ue added as he imitated his friend, sounding a little bit shocked for his inability to recognize who Tsuna was.

"I've o-only performed my d-duties, Katsu-san, Ue-san. T-there's no need to t-thank me." Tsuna protested while waving a hand. "I'm j-just glad to know t-that I've been useful."

"If I hadn't called you, I wouldn't have been able to meet again my friend, Conciliator-dono. Accept our thanks and our offer with a peaceful mind. We're completely sincere." Katsu insisted as he grabbed Ue to place him on his left shoulder.

"Yeah, I would still be trapped into that damned box." The tiny youkai joined in from his position, not minding it one bit, probably used to.

"Y-yes, I know b-but…" The brunet cut himself, not wanting to finish his sentence.

He had always been called Dame-Tsuna for being clumsy, dumb and useless. It was only when he fulfilled his role of Conciliator that he could try to be something else, someone better. When he helped youkai, he felt as if he wasn't completely hopeless, as if he had still a chance to be better. However, when he was among his peers, he was looked down and belittled. Wasn't it kind of ironic? The same monsters which were trying to eat him on a daily basis were the only one who treated him with respect.

He shook himself out of his thoughts.

"W-well, I'll keep t-them on mind." He smiled at the two youkai who didn't seem to be ready to leave unless they made their point clear. "N-night has s-settled so I n-need to go b-back."

"We'll take our leave, then." Katsu replied. "Thank you again, Conciliator-dono."

Tsuna wished them a safe trip and waved his hands. As soon as they disappeared from view, Kage-chan jumped down the ground.

"Let's go, cub." She ordered him while sending glances around. "And tell me what's on your mind."

"The exorcist who put these meat buns and that seal is careless, isn't he?" The brunet commented. "They could have attracted any kind of youkai with them."

"How is it any of your concern?" She asked bluntly.

"I have no issue with them if they are simply trying to get akuryou or evil spirits of the sort. However, if they are setting them blindly around, there will be some damage. Youkai are going to be anxious and some will turn violent." He justified himself.

"What about it?" She replied, uncaring.

"What do you-"

"It's none of your business." She interrupted him harshly. "Do you remember who the Conciliator is?"

"That's me." He answered reluctantly, suspecting where it was going.

"Do you remember what your role is? Do you remember what your duties are?"

"I, as Conciliator, am the mediator between two parties, youkai or humans." He recited blankly. "I will listen attentively without any prejudices to both parties to fairly settle whatever issues existed between them. I will not be taking sides nor will I favor one of the parties. I will treat both parties equally to avoid any misjudgments. Any form of emotions is forbidden. I will accept requests from both youkai and humans and accomplish them to the best of my abilities, as long as it isn't beyond me."

"According to this, do you have to worry about this exorcist?" She questioned him.

"N-no but-"

"Did this exorcist contact you?"

"No."

"Did a youkai contact you about them?"

"No."

"Then why are you concerning yourself? It's none of your business." She concluded, satisfied.

"It isn't for now." He admitted. "But, if the situation worsens, then it will be my problem. Shouldn't I act now to prevent it?"

"No, you shan't." She retorted sternly, stopping to glare at him. "That will only endanger you. Do I have to remind you what happened last time?"

Tsuna quickly paled and winced. No, he didn't need any reminder.

"Don't get involved, Tsuna." She insisted one last time.

The brunet sighed and ruffled his hair. He knew that Kage-chan was worried, fearing for his life. Last time had been hard for him, but mostly for his mother and the nekomata. He didn't want them to go through it again.

"Okay." He withdrew willingly. "Okay."

"Let's get you home, cub. Nana's probably worried." She relaxed visibly, resuming her walk. "I'm also quite interested in your tutor's reaction."

"Oh no, I've completely forgotten about him." Tsuna blanched. "He's so going to kill me." He added as he touched his cheeks.

"Will you tell him the truth?" She eyed him thoughtfully.

"I don't think so." He then gave a humorless laugh. He didn't dare imagine what would be Reborn's reactions. Judging by his meeting with the hitman, it would not be pretty.

"You're planning to hide it, then? Are you sure you will be able to do it?" She wondered dubiously. "You're going to hide that you're regularly attacked whenever you're outside? What about your position as Conciliator?"

"Well, it will be difficult." He admitted. "However, he doesn't need to know."

"What makes you think that?"

"He's here on Nono's orders, so that means that I'm only a contract, right? Thus, he will leave as soon as he's done, won't he? I'll probably never see him again. Also, he's Sightless and therefore, he's not part of our world. I won't bring uninvolved people into the youkai's world."

"He may be Sightless but that doesn't mean that he's stupid." She pointed out. "He will notice sooner or later that you're anything but a normal human. He will confront you about it."

"I prefer to be seen as completely crazy than reveal our secrets." He stated firmly. "It's not only me, but Mom too. I mustn't act carelessly."

"You don't trust him." She understood. "Well, you trust him enough to let Nana alone with him, but not enough to let him into our secrets."

"Mom's not alone." He rose his eyebrows briefly. "The bakenekos are with her, plus she might have called Kogane."

"You really think that her shiki can protect her from him?" Her condescending tone implied clearly that she thought he was an idiot. "He's a hitman."

"Yes, I believe so." Tsuna replied with a slight hesitation. "Kogane is very good to protect Mom. Until now, he has never failed. I doubt that a human without spiritual powers –no matter how strong otherwise- could be able to see through his techniques, much less follow him into the youkai's world."

"Unless the tiny human is faster than the shiki." She retorted.

Kage-chan paused, watching his nervousness increasing. She suppressed a sigh. Tsuna was still quite naive. It was both cute and exasperating.

"W-well, he's not here to harm us." He reminded her with a frown. "Though thanks to you, I'm starting to worry."

"Cub!" She suddenly shouted, startling him.

"I finally found you, human child."

Tsuna immediately froze, recognizing the voice. It was the youkai from this morning, approaching him from behind. The brunet didn't think, running awkwardly down the streets. Kage-chan hissed at their laughing pursuer.

"Do you know that ayakashi, cub?" She asked then, catching up.

"I… met him… earlier." He panted while gritting his teeth to muffle his pained cries. "Lost him… in school."

She clicked her tongue in irritation and glanced back, assessing their opponent. Weaker than Tsuna and certainly weaker than her, she could easily take care of him. Heck, one bite and he would be gone. However, she refrained from doing so. Instead, she brought back her attention to the brunet. Judging by his form, he would soon collapse. Despite his injury, he had forced himself to walk, run and climb stairs and slopes, so he was getting close to his physical limit. He was up early this morning, bearing with school and the shock of the new situation with the Mafia, so he was exhausted mentally. His spiritual power was still fine, despite tearing apart a seal, but that was the only positive side. Usually, Kage-chan let Tsuna deal with his attackers. He chose to escape to the nearer barrier to hide for a bit or until his assailant left. He wasn't the type to fight but sometimes, when he was cornered or when he needed to protect someone, he would fight back. For this case, however, the nekomata wasn't willing to put him into this position.

"I can take care of him." She offered graciously as they took a sharp turn, getting closer to the brunet's house.

He shook his head to refuse, knowing that she would likely eat the youkai. True, he was a target, constantly seen as a meal with legs, but he was reluctant to let her kill them. Most of them couldn't resist the temptation but after being defeated or when they simply grew bored of chasing, they would leave him alone. Some were persistent but Tsuna still considered that it wasn't a good reason to annihilate them. Since his position as Conciliator wasn't written on his forehead, most of the youkai didn't believe him when he told them who he was. It wasn't his fault that he was petite and skinny, nowhere near their expectations. He simply took after his mother for Kami's sake. Well, it wasn't as if he could do anything about it.

Kage-chan sighed, already knowing his answer.

"The small fry is getting closer." She noticed. "If you don't act now, you'll never get to your house safely."

Tsuna took out one of his last protective talismans. At the next corner, he would be able to reach his house and enter its barriers. Inside, the bakenekos would chase away the persistent youkai. With a slap on his back, he stuck his talisman on his clothes.

"Here he comes." Kage-chan warned the brunet, guessing his plans.

She wanted to roll his eyes at his recklessness but she couldn't in this form. With a weird slide and grabbing a pole to stabilize and throw himself forward, he forced his muscles to obey for a last sprint. Behind him, he could practically sense the youkai stretching a hand to grab him by his collar. The leathery fingers brushed against the cotton, activating the talisman. Immediately, Tsuna felt himself being thrown forward as the ayakashi was sent backward, flying away from the brunet. The teen landed harshly on the ground, rolling a little bit further. The talisman detached itself on its own, silently crumbling. Tsuna stood up and stumbled, dizzy. Kage-chan grabbed his trousers sleeve, indicating him the direction of his house. He followed her hastily, hopping. As soon as he crossed the gates, he relaxed. Behind him, the hungry youkai shouted angrily. Tsuna opened the door, feeling the bakenekos' fur brushing against him as they passed to keep away his pursuer.

The brunet didn't stay to observe, getting quickly inside. He closed the door and leaned on it to catch his breath.

"Where were you?"

His tutor's harsh voice made him jump in fright, trip over his own feet and fall on the floor. His hands twitched visibly for an instant, ready to reach for whatever needed. He lifted his head quickly and he shrunk. He could sense his tutor's annoyance, steadily rising as time ticked by. He unconsciously backed away, bumping into the door.

For Reborn, the teen looked frightened, almost terrified. The hitman wondered what caused this reaction. The brunet had come back home hastily, as if he was running away, only catching his breath once safely into the house. From the report and his own observations of the boy's shape, Reborn knew that his student was bullied. He narrowed his eyes. It wasn't something he should directly deal with. Tsuna would have to resolve it by himself in order to mature and to put a definitive end to it. However, if he regularly came back home with injuries that could hinder his training, Reborn would have to step in. He was certainly not going to let some brats go against his plans.

Kage-chan watched the tiny human with pensive eyes as she placed herself in front of Tsuna. She wasn't able to really determine Reborn's thoughts. She didn't know the exact reason of his presence in Namimori, even if he had told the truth –or at least a part of it- to the brunet. She was sure he was keeping silence on important matters concerning her cub. She was several time older than all the humans in the house so she knew by experience that the hitman was hiding something very important. She didn't know if Tsuna was aware of it, if it was another reason for him to distrust Reborn, but until she had discovered his secrets, she wouldn't say anything to the brunet. Who knows? He might be able to discover them on his own.

After sending a last glance to her cub, Kage-chan left the hall, letting both humans alone. Not for very long however. Nana passed by the nekomata, making briefly eye-contact before smiling brightly to her son.

"Welcome home, Tsu-kun."

"I'm… back." He answered slowly as if testing the grounds, still tense.

"Did everything go well?" She asked afterwards.

He nodded and decided to stand up. He bit his lips when he accidentally leaned on his right foot and quickly let his back touched the door to avoid falling again. They both observed him in silence, noticing that his injury had worsened. Reborn tilted his fedora down to hide his face.

"Did you run into troubles on your way back, Tsu-kun?" His mother interrogated him as she reached him to help.

"I've been… chased around." He replied, knowing that she would understand exactly what he meant, especially since she had seen the bakenekos rushed outside.

She led him to the couch carefully, lending her shoulder. Mirroring her actions from this morning, she gently grabbed his right foot, removing his shoes and his socks. Partially embarrassed, he felt Reborn hop beside him, probably in order to observe.

"They didn't reach the house." Tsuna carried on, fidgeting in the silence.

Several presences suddenly popped up and ran straight to him, jumping on top of him. He sunk into the cushion under their weight while his hearing was overwhelmed by their purring and occasional mewls. Nana smiled at the sight even though she couldn't help but frowned when examining his ankle as she brought back her attention to it. Reborn held back a click of his tongue, watching his student wince at the pain. If he was expressing his discomfort now -considering that he had walked all day with a sprain without so much as a twitch- that could only mean that he wouldn't be able to move for a while. In this state, Tsuna wouldn't be able to train for weeks. It was _not_ a good thing _at all._ Getting delay on the schedule could endanger the teen. The hitman pondered briefly on the best course of action.

Meanwhile, Nana was hesitating. Should she use her flames to help her son? With Reborn beside them, she didn't want to reveal them, afraid of the consequences. Tsuna and she were aware that they couldn't let anyone know about them. If they used them carelessly, they would have to confront a suspicious hitman. They couldn't allow it as they didn't have answers to give unless they revealed their bond with the youkai's world. Nana knew that Tsuna didn't want Reborn to find out so she could only rise and take the first-aid kit to apply ointment and bandaged his ankle. Later she would call Kogane and request him to get youkai medicine, which could be more effective if correctly used and toxic if misused. For now, Tsuna would have to bear with it.

"Do you need something to stand, Tsu-kun?" She asked then. "A crutch or…"

He quickly paled and shook his head, causing Nana to purse her lips in barely contained anger. She couldn't even provide him basic support because of the bullies.

Of course she had tried to act, to get help from the school, to warn the parents about their children's behavior. No one had listened and no one had lifted a single finger. In return, Tsuna had been showered with reproaches, getting the status of troublemaker despite being the victim. If anything, Nana's actions had only worsened everything for Tsuna. As the brunette could only watch on the sidelines, horrified, and bandaged and comforted her boy when he came back, having to deal with both humans and youkai bullies, she felt something in her shatter.

For each time she saw Tsuna's smile, she relaxed and hoped. For each time she saw his concealed tears, she inwardly snarled in fury against the unfairness of the world. When, one day, she realized that she had been since the beginning all alone with a son to raise and never got any kind of help from anyone –especially from her husband and father of her child-, she snapped. Nana had taken her life in her own hands, deciding to be once again the independent woman that she had been.

Getting a job had been the hardest part as it had been a long time since she had worked. She found a place as a chief in a small but warm hotel. Her employer understood quickly her situation, allowing her some time for her son. She would help for two meals a day, usually breakfast and lunch, and would leave sufficiently early to come back home before dinner. First years had been hard, with Tsuna being too little to be left alone -but thanks to Kage-chan who had been by his side, it hadn't been a problem for long- and to adapt to her new life style. But then, Nana had been able to save regularly with an objective: getting enough to finally divorce Iemitsu, gain a small flat in the same town as the hotel to leave Namimori and its trouble, and be happy, both of them. She knew that she still needed years before they could actually leave. However, with Reborn's arrival, Nana feared that everything she had planned would crumble even before it started.

"I sh-should take a sh-shower."

Tsuna's voice snapped them out of their thoughts.

"Wait." Reborn stopped him before he could even move.

"Tsu-kun, be patient." Nana spoke up quickly, watching the hitman at the corner of her eyes. "You can't shower until the ointment had done its work. So I'll be going first, okay?"

Her son nodded slowly, still crushed by the weight of the supernatural cats. She smiled sweetly and went upstairs, leaving the boys alone. Tsuna immediately stiffened, half-turned towards his tutor. Reborn observed him in silence for a few minutes for the simple pleasure of seeing him fidget in growing nervousness and possibly some fear.

"From now on, you won't go outside at night, especially if I'm not with you." The hitman finally ordered.

Tsuna twitched, ready to protest. The glare he received successfully shut him up, though he did frown.

"I'm here to keep you alive until you can do it alone, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn reminded him harshly. "Danger lurks into the night, be it hitmen, Mafiosi or something else. Understood?"

"Understood." Tsuna repeated slowly with a resigned sigh.

Suddenly, a part of the infant's rule stood out.

"Wh-when you m-mean 'es-especially if you're n-not with m-me', d-don't t-tell me t-that…?"

"Yes." Reborn confirmed with a smirk. "I'm a full-time tutor so I'll be with you since you wake up until you fall asleep. Aren't you lucky, Dame-Tsuna?"

The brunet paled as he spluttered something incomprehensible. Hell no, he was not! He inwardly groaned. Suddenly, accepting his occasional jobs from both youkai and humans as Conciliator had turned out to be even more difficult than he suspected. How could he even do that with this stalker's constant supervision? He suddenly let out a soft cry of pain as his chin got kicked by Reborn.

"Shut up, Dame-Tsuna."

The teen fell awkwardly on the couch, causing some of the bakenekos to jump down the floor, silently screaming that he didn't say anything.

"I can read mind." Reborn bluntly lied, guessing the brunet's thoughts.

Tsuna actually froze for a good second before his guts confirmed him that _no, humans couldn't read mind_. Well, some rare youkai could and it was a pain to deal with them as they could predict any of his moves or words. So was he so easy to read?

"Yes, you are."

The brunet twitched when hearing Reborn. He knew that the infant was watching him with a rapt attention. He was so nervous that it took all he had to fight the urge to pet one of the bakeneko, knowing that he would look weird with his hands waving awkwardly in the air. He was probably already a pathetic sight so he certainly didn't wish to add craziness in the picture. Instead, he focused on the sounds coming from upstairs, trying to decipher whether her mother was done or not. There was no way she would be in such a short time but he would take any pretext to escape from Reborn.

Meanwhile, Reborn decided it was time to clear a few things. While his student was busy being chased, Nana and he had quite an interesting discussion. Contrary to Iemitsu's belief –this _idiota_ -, his wife was not oblivious. During dinner, she had met it clear that she had suspecting her husband to be part of an illegal organization –not the Mafia though-, that she wanted to divorce to finally be able to live peacefully away and that she wouldn't hesitate to act if she needed to. Reborn had seen her resolve, her determination in her bright eyes and in her locked jaws. He had also perceived her fear for her son in her clamped hands to keep them from shaking, her fear to see her plans being crushed because of the very same man she had tried to escape.

Well, even if Reborn hadn't appeared, he doubted she could have managed to fulfill her plans. She was not a Mafioso herself but because of Iemitsu, she was involved in the Underworld. Same applied to Tsuna. They appeared as innocent civilians but while they were unaware of the Mafia, Mafiosi were already aware of them even when they didn't know their location. In fact, it was probably a really good thing that Reborn had come. He would be able to protect them and to teach them how to defend themselves.

It was impressive how the Sawadas had managed to stay alive for all these years. Being the Young Lion of Vongola, Iemitsu had always been a target. Since he bragged quite frequently about his adorable wife and son, it was well-known that he had a family. Frankly, it was quite shocking how careless the man could be. Certainly, he had posted some spies/protectors in Namimori but they weren't much. They hadn't even been able to detect Reborn until he came into the house, and he wasn't even trying to be discreet. Needless to say, the hitman hadn't been impressed and had quickly sent them away, scoffing at how incompetent they were.

That led him to wonder if Nana or Tsuna had already crossed path with assassins. Nana hadn't answered him clearly earlier, evading him. Reborn didn't push then, already suspecting that Tsuna was more likely to spill; not that the teen had really a choice, of course. However, when he observed the brunet unconsciously shifting away from him, he seriously began to wander if he shouldn't try something else. He needed truth and trust to help Tsuna. If the teen pushed him away, even Reborn, as great as he was, wouldn't be able to do much. It hadn't been one day, and the hitman could already see how difficult everything would be with this student.

"Tsuna."

The simple call of his name made the brunet tense up, his fingers briefly twitching. Reborn suppressed the urge to sigh in frustration, feeling as if he was constantly dealing with a wild animal ready to run away at one wrong move.

"There are a few things I need to know." He carried on, observing how the teen tilted his head towards him, indicating that he was indeed listening. "Have you ever been targeted before?"

Tsuna hesitated for a split second. He wasn't considering lying to the hitman, knowing it was useless and stupid. He was trying to figure out how he would explain their misfortunes without being seen as suspicious or cheeky –two behaviors that could irritate his trigger-happy tutor. Also, as Conciliator, he was forced to speak truthfully. How could youkai and humans trust him if he could lie to them? His judgment wouldn't be well considered, each time contested, and in the end, instead of bringing peace, he would cause chaos –the complete opposite of his duty. Plus, he had never been a good liar so it was useless for him to try, especially when he could simply play with the truth.

"Y-yes." He answered then, mind racing. "We ha-have been."

"How many times?"

"S-several times." His voice trailed off, mentally counting. "S-seven maybe?"

Seven? They survived seven attempts by themselves?

"How did you stop them?" Reborn asked as he tried to figure out how an untrained woman with a child could have been able to defeat assassins. Luck? No, it wasn't luck when it happened seven times.

"N-neither Mom nor m-me had d-done anything." The brunet replied, remembering some of these said events. True, they didn't do anything. It had always been Kogane who dealt with them. It was so easy for him since he was mostly invisible and able to touch them. Being a youkai could be really advantageous sometimes. "They t-took care of them." Tsuna added, guessing that his answers weren't pleasing his tutor.

"They?" Reborn repeated. "Who exactly are they?"

"I'm b-blind." The brunet reminded him. "I c-can't say."

That was really convenient. How could he describe someone if he couldn't see them? Also, yes, he knew who their protector was, but it wasn't as if he could blurt out _what_ he was. So no, indeed, he _couldn't_ really say as he knew Sightless people didn't believe him about spirits and such. Without mentioning that Nana had requested him to keep secret the fact that she had a shiki from both humans and youkai alike. He had never understood why she had demanded him to do so but he never questioned her, respecting her wish.

"Did Nana ever see them?" The hitman asked, keeping his frustration at bay.

"I th-think so."Tsuna replied and silently wondered when Reborn had been allowed to call his Mom by her name. "W-we d-didn't talk about it, th-though. I c-can't help you, s-sorry."

Why would they talk about it when they were both in the secret? Even though the brunet had trouble answering the hitman as truthfully as possible, he admitted that he was having too much fun at his tutor's expense. Kage-chan had probably rubbed on him more than he thought. It didn't change the fact that it was terrifying to play with the truth when confronting someone like Reborn.

Said infant narrowed his eyes. He had the distinct impression that the brunet was hiding something from him. However, the hitman couldn't detect any lies in the answers. His student was telling the truth each time. Reborn briefly pondered on their mysterious savior's identity. Was it an agent of Vongola or a member of CEDEF? He would have to seek information later. For one question answered, several others popped up after.

"Each time, for the seven attempts, you've been save by this person." He resumed while Tsuna kept silent. "When did the attempts stop?"

"Th-three years ago." Tsuna answered. "I th-think it was the l-last time."

It had been quite a while, then. Things had settled down for Iemitsu's enemies, taking time to weight if it was relevant to keep trying to assassinate his family when each one of their tries failed. With a bit of luck, there wouldn't be much activity from them. Enrico would be a problem soon enough. Once he would connect the dots between Primo being Iemitsu's ancestor and this _idiota_ bragging about his cute son, the Mafioso would quickly find out about Sawada Tsunayoshi and act upon it. By then, Tsuna would have to be ready. For now, it seemed nearly impossible.

"And you've never seen this person again?" It was his last attempt to get some information, already considering that Tsuna was a dead end. Nana would be able to tell a little bit more.

The brunet squashed down his urge to laugh hysterically. He managed to splutter a 'no' while biting his cheeks. He had never been able to _see_ Kogane, as well as the others youkai. He could sense them, feel them, hear them, heck even _smell_ them, but definitely not see them. Thank Kami he phrased his question like this. Upstairs, the sound of water ended, signaling that his mother was almost done. Good. He would soon be able to escape.

Reborn was missing pieces. Pieces kept hidden by both Nana and Tsuna. It was obvious in the kid's demeanor that while he wasn't lying, he wasn't telling the complete truth either. Questioning Nana wouldn't help him. She trusted her son's judgment, enough to change her own opinion, and judging by the sheer protectiveness she displayed earlier, she wouldn't do –or say- anything that could be harmful to his son. Since blunt questions wouldn't reveal anything, Reborn would have to use subtle ways and take his time. Time that neither of them had. However, he didn't really have a choice. Choosing this way was safer for the moment, and the hitman would accelerate things after he had gained their trust. So, when Tsuna practically jumped from the couch when Nana came down to tell him he could go, Reborn let him go. He watched him stumble towards the stairs as he spoke up one last time:

"Remember Tsuna, _I_ am your way out."

The brunet momentarily paused, half-turned towards the infant. He tilted his head without a word to express he had heard. Then, he disappeared upstairs with difficulty.

* * *

 **A/N**

Hm... Not completely satisfied with this one but it was necessary. Some explanations :

 **Uwan** : youkai who lived in old and unoccupied houses. Their name came from their shouts "Uwaaaaan!". No physical description. (Definition from Shigeru Mizuki's Zusetsu Nihon Youkai Taizen, in a translated version.)

In fact, I will let you imagine all youkai's shapes since Tsuna is blind, the Gifted (like Nana) doesn't really care about their forms, and the others are Sightless so... Only hints if I dare say so.

(*)

 **Ue:** Depending on the kanji, they are different meanings. Kage-chan understood Ue as "up" 上 hence **Shita** for "down" 下 . Tsuna had read Ue 飢え as "hunger" since he had been given a Japanese alias to call out his client's friend. **Katsu** 渇 can be understood as "thirst". **Kikatsu** is, well, basically, "hunger and thirst" 飢渇. So yeah, that explained why Kage-chan had said that. Doesn't change the fact that it was a (bad) pun. XD

If I made any mistake, or if you have questions, or anything really, don't hesitate to post a review!  
Thanks again!

See you next chapter~


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

 **Warnings:** AU (sort of) / No beta

 **Rating:** T (for language and violence that will appear later)

 **A/N: T** hank you all for your reviews and the follows/fav. Good motivations.  
I changed a few things, mostly about the vowels: Kyouya turned into Kyôya, etc. I'm more used to this system in fact but if it disturbs any of you, I can change back, of course!

Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

Next morning at six o'clock, Tsuna sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes, groggy. Kage-chan yawned on his lap before elegantly stretching. A dark presence near his bed alerted the teen that Reborn was already up, watching him. He missed the quirked eyebrow directed at him and his earliness. Tsuna had barely slept last night, with his tutor settled in a hammock in his bedroom. He wasn't afraid to be attacked or something, no, he wasn't comfortable enough to relax completely. He had to wait until one a.m. for Kage-chan to climb on his bed to finally be able to fall asleep. His rumbling stomach distracted him from his thoughts. He hadn't eaten last evening, so he was quite hungry. He got up awkwardly and cleared his throat before greeting Reborn.

"You're up early." The hitman noticed, following him.

"W-well…"

"Don't stutter." Reborn interrupted. "Don't show weaknesses or you'll die."

Leaning on the wall, Tsuna paused in his steps. He took deep breathes to completely calm down. Stuttering was a weakness? Yôkai didn't seem to mind though. Well, humans and ayakashi were different after all. As the infant had pointed out before, he was here to help as unbelievable as it seemed.

"Yesterday was Mom's day off." The brunet began slowly as he climbed down the stairs as carefully as possible. "T-that means that I'll cook."

The bakeneko rushed to him, mewling. He didn't need much time to figure out that they were hungry, especially since they chased away an uninvited guest last night. Smiling lightly, he entered into the kitchen. Smelling an unusual odor, he made his way towards the table. Reborn hopped on it, looking at a little white paper sachet. There was an unknown symbol on one of its side, representing a playful young fox.

"Do you know what it is?" He asked Tsuna, observing his grimace.

"Medicine." The brunet replied shortly.

His expression turned thoughtful. That was yôkai medicine, no doubt about it. His hands brushed the sachet, looking for a precise symbol. He suppressed another wince when he recognized the symbol. Nana had asked Kogane to get something to heal him and sure, her shiki had gone to the most talented apothecary of their world: Kiyome.

Tsuna had met him several times and while their meetings weren't exactly unpleasant, the five tails fox always managed to make the brunet uneasy. Thankfully, Kiyome liked the teen. If the fox had actually hated him… well, let's simply say that he wouldn't have made it back the first time. Tsuna admitted that his medicine tasted horrible but they were efficient –and powerful too. They also had sometimes inconvenient side effects. So, the question was: did he really need it? He trusted the fox to heal him in a blink of an eye without trying anything harmful. The problem wasn't Kiyome, it was Reborn. The hitman would surely question the miraculous medicine since he knew that no human could produce such efficiency. However, Tsuna also knew that his tutor was frustrated –well hidden frustration but frustration nonetheless- and the solution to remedy to it was just in front of them. Plus, the brunet would be delighted to be free from his sprain. He liked being able to walk without lumping. He hesitated a little longer before he took a deep breath.

"Say, Reborn-san-" He began while grabbing the sachet.

"Drop the honorifics." The hitman cut him –again.

"Reborn." Tsuna repeated obligingly, fighting with his growing impatience. "This," he pointed at the medicine, "can heal faster my sprain." He paused again, talking in short sentences to prevent his stutter from appearing. "You'll be able to train me sooner."

Reborn didn't say anything, simply watching the teen. He had a suspicion to where his student was going.

"I'll take it," the brunet carried on, aware to have his tutor's full attention, "if you don't question us about it."

In exchange for him silencing his curiosity, Reborn would be able to (finally) shape his student into a boss. It was way too suspicious.

"How long will it take?" He asked, keeping his thoughts for himself for the moment.

"Not long." Tsuna replied, thinking about it. It was his first time that he would be treated by Kiyome for a sprain. Honestly, he had no idea. Normally, he would need weeks if not months to heal completely. But with the fox's knowledge, weeks were reduced to days, even _hours_. "I d-don't really know."

He opened the sachet and grabbing a glass, he poured the powder into it. His nose twitched in reflex as he let a finger collect a little amount. He licked it tentatively and winced at how sour and bitter it was. That was definitely not a good sign. He was a hundred percent sure that he would suffer some side effects. It was always the more powerful ones that caused them.

"Frankly," Tsuna continued, "it can be only several days o-or less."

Reborn was doubtful. True, his flames were probably able to heal him in a matter of minutes, but it had been so long and it was so _personal_ that the hitman wasn't willing to use them. He doubted that this medicine, as efficient as it was, could be that useful. He also needed to know where it came from. He didn't sense any added presence last night and earlier this morning, and the only person who had left was Nana. So how did this sachet appear on this table?

"Where does it come from?" He asked, watching closely the teen to detect any lies.

"It's from a friend." Tsuna sighed, half-expected the questions. Then, realizing how suspicious both the powder and his answers were, he added, "It's not drugs."

"Who is this friend?"

"A trusted apothecary." He answered slowly, his voice clearly indicating that he was not going to say more about his identity.

Apothecary? Was there any nowadays? Reborn narrowed his eyes. He needed information to be sure about this so-called friend. He was used to distrust everyone, especially when he hadn't met them.

"I've known him since I was six." Tsuna informed him, probably sensing the hitman's reluctance. "He had t-treated us every time o-one of us was s-sick." His stutter came back with his nervousness and he paused in an attempt to calm down. "He's not an enemy."

"If I wish to meet him, where can I find him?"

"You can't." The brunet smiled softly, trying to sound a little less harsh. "He travels."

"Like a peddler." Reborn commented bluntly.

"H-he's not a drug dealer." Tsuna rectified in exasperation. "He s-simply loves to freely roams the w-worlds while h-helping others."

The hitman shot him a disbelieving look, almost sure that this apothecary was a charlatan.

"It would be better to let a physician treat you." He commented, eyeing the powder, ready to throw it away.

"Reborn!" The brunet protested with a firm grip on his glass. "I'll be fine."

He then swiftly gulped down the medicine before his tutor tried to stop him. He grimaced at the taste and suppressed a gag reflex when some stuck in his throat. Heading to the sink, he turned the faucet to get some water. Finishing his glass, he put it on the edge. For a few minutes, Reborn stared at the brunet, waiting for anything to happen. Tsuna relaxed when he didn't feel anything wrong. He let out a single sigh of relief that was caught in an unexpected long yawn. His shoulders slumped down as exhaustion took over his mind. He leaned to the kitchen counter as he passed a tired hand on his face. He yawned again, barely covering his mouth. Some tears fell down his cheeks as he let his hand drop. He felt his body slide as his knees gave out. Too tired to care, he didn't even try to resist and just like that, he blacked out.

Reborn watched his student fall down, his form completely relaxing. Even when his head met the floor not so gently, the teen didn't wake up. In fact, he looked more knocked out than asleep. The hitman twitched in irritation. Great. Because of the brunet's stubbornness, Reborn had to check if he was still alive, if whatever that powder was didn't do too much damage and if he suffered from a concussion due to his fall. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the brat's cat coming into the kitchen. What was its name again? Ah yes, Kage-chan. It was a female then. She walked towards the unconscious boy, staring at him. Reborn stopped beside her, remembering how Tsuna was finally able to sleep when the cat settled next to him. Before, he hadn't been able to relax enough to drift away. Of course, the hitman hadn't been able to sleep, constantly waking up at each one of the teen's moves. Used to spend sleepless night, Reborn wasn't really tired, or at least, he didn't let his state affect him. Reporting his attention to Tsuna and after a short examination, he concluded that his student had fallen in a deep sleep. He even tried to wake him up through not-so-gently methods but to no avail- Tsuna was dead to the world.

While Kage-chan observed the hitman's reactions with great amusement, she had to calm the bakeneko to prevent them to attack the human. They didn't take lightly when Tsuna was apparently attacked. They remembered after all that one time, even the nekomata had trouble to suppress her growing irritation despite her twisted sense of fun. When Reborn gave up in his attempts to awake the teen, the cats immediately rushed to the brunet's side. He was, after all, lying down on the cold floor tiles. Kage-chan jumped on his chest while the others settled around him, sticking close to offer their warmth. Each one of them glared at the sightless human, wishing to make him leave. They couldn't though, for harming another being would sadden Tsuna. So they simply watched him take the glass and the sachet in hope to retrieve some powder, and listen to the sound of his decreasing steps. They relaxed, drowsing with only Kage-chan as an attentive watcher.

* * *

Noticing a muscle twitching, Kage-chan stood up to reach Tsuna's chin with one of her paw.

"Wake up, cub."

The brunet stifled a yawn with one of his hands, disturbing one of the bakeneko. Sitting up, he winced and let out a pained groan when his body protested, cracking. His back ached but the worst was his head. He felt light-headed as if he had violently met with a wall –yes, it had already happened before- and a migraine was gleefully settling down, pulsing. He let the bakeneko jump on his lap, forcing Kage-chan to go back on the floor, each one of them purring in relief. He was still tired but he encouraged them to absorb part of his spiritual energy nonetheless. The nekomata shot a look towards the door, noticing Reborn's presence. She briefly wondered if the human had heard her –since she was in a form perceptible for anyone, even the Sightless could hear her talking- and guessed that he had simply perceived Tsuna's sound.

"What happened?" Said teen wondered out loud, a little bit lost.

"You collapsed." The hitman answered without bothering to hide his irritation.

"Oh." Tsuna whispered, recalling the events. He then stood up abruptly, getting a little bit dizzy but mostly panicked, the bakeneko getting off of him. "Wh-what time is it?"

He stumbled against the table but didn't feel any pain, his mind already struggling against exhaustion and a horrible migraine. He knew that he was still in the kitchen, so he went for the nearest clock. All clocks present in the house were traditional ones, allowing Tsuna to touch their hands to determine time. He paled when he realized it was already noon.

"K-Kyôya's g-going to b-bite me to d-death!" He panicked thoroughly.

Reborn watched him leave the room in a hurry, grabbing some apples on his way out. Tsuna tripped in the stairs but managed to avoid a complete fall and rushed into his bedroom. Taking out his uniform, he changed in less than 3 minutes. He however took the time to put his offering on the shrine and bow respectfully in front of it before rushing out. Leaving with a shout of "I'm going!" and locking the door, he picked up his pace, barely aware that Reborn had hopped on his shoulder at some point.

The hitman was itching to shoot the teen with a Dying Will bullet to simply see him arrive in school late and in his boxers –a wonderful humiliation that would teach him to cease to hide things from an annoyed Reborn. He refrained from actually doing it since he didn't know what consequences would appear if the bullet clashed with the remnants of the powder. After all, for someone who apparently had a sprain, Tsuna had almost no problem in walking. It was as if his injury had been reduced to a simple bother. Only drugs could procure such a temporary result and for quite a high price. However, the brunet didn't show any signs of a drug user. Exhaustion and migraine were hardly ones of these. Besides, Reborn had never heard of a drug which knocked out its user a few minutes after taking it without any others effects but fatigue and headaches. Basically, there was no point in taking it so it wouldn't be made and sold. However, just to be sure, he sent the powder to be analyzed, expecting the results as soon as possible. He had a feeling that it would be pointless though but shook it off, trying anyway.

Well, Reborn had at least understood one thing about the Sawadas: the family was a combination of surprises and headaches. He then noticed that the younger of them had promptly fallen asleep on his feet, waiting for the light to turn green. Smacking him, he woke him up abruptly. Tsuna jerked awake, walking without thinking. Thankfully, he stayed conscious long enough to reach the school. His hands clenched around his bag when he sensed Kyôya and Kage-chan's presences at the gates. The nekomata had probably warned the teen about his arrival. The brunet stopped a few feet away from the prefect, scratching a cheek. Reborn had mysteriously disappeared at some point, leaving them alone.

"H-hi K-Kyôya-san." Tsuna finally said lamely.

"Explain." The Skylark demanded, eyes narrowed in a glare, completely ignoring him.

The brunet sighed, already knowing how his friend would react.

"Ev-everything went well with my client and his friend." He told him, keeping short since he knew Kyôya wasn't patient. "They both had left the town."

The prefect eyed the small animal's form, noticing his slump shoulders, his pallor, his slow movements, his stifled yawns and his furrowed eyebrows. He gripped his tonfas tighter in annoyance. Something had happened. _Again_.

"You shouldn't be here, small animal." Kyôya scowled, pointing out Tsuna's exhaustion and injury. "I should bite you to death for coming in this state."

Tsuna looked surprised for a few moments. He waved a nervous hand, smiling a little.

"I just ran into a persistent one." The brunet dismissed it. "I'm fine, Kiyome had given me medicine."

At that, Kyôya understood why the small animal was that late. He was most likely still suffering from the side-effect but had insisted to come in order to give the prefect his report. Foolish. Hibari Kyôya was not weak and needn't to be reassured about herbivores that weren't directly his concern. The only herbivore that interested him was _this_ small animal because he could be more than that. He had seen it before, the potential hidden behind his herbivorous attitude. He couldn't wait to see the day when the small animal would finally bare his fangs. The Skylark loosened his grip on his tonfas to instead grab Tsuna, dragging him inside.

"Get better." Kyôya ordered to the brunet as he shoved him into the Disciplinary Committee room and into one of the couch. "You can't patrol if you're weak."

Tsuna didn't reply anything, simply accepting the rough and rare display of affection. The prefect went to his desk, dealing with his paperwork in silence, absolutely not bothered by the added presence.

* * *

On a tree outside, Reborn mentally ticked one thing on his list. At least, Tsuna had chosen –and started to bond with- a strong and full of potential Cloud Guardian. He was quite curious to know how he managed to do so. Clouds were known for being aloof, especially strong ones, and Hibari Kyôya was clearly corresponding to this characteristic. Also, Tsuna was allowed to call him by his first name and had even earned a special nickname, showing how close the boys were. While the prefect had a rather strange way to express his concern, the brunet seemed to understand it and accept it. That was a friendship born after spending years together and not in a few days. What happened to bring Hibari's interest on Tsuna?

* * *

A ringing bell awoke Tsuna quite violently, who grumbled while rubbing his ears. Rising from the couch, he listened to the sounds around him, figuring out that it was the end of the classes for the day and the start of the few club activities. Presences were decreasing quickly, permitting him to pinpoint the location of each club and their members. Kyôya was already patrolling the grounds, looking for any loitering students, while Tetsuya was posted at the gates, observing the crowd. The brunet sat up straight, his hands carefully touching his ankle. Feeling an almost nonexistent pain, he realized that by tomorrow, he would probably be completely healed. He would have to thank Kiyome for this miracle the next time he met the fox –and that could be in two days or in twenty years.

Tsuna stood up, ready to leave the room. He paused when noticing Reborn's presence in the ceiling, waiting for the infant to settle on his head. The brunet half-expected questions but was surprised to receive silence. He didn't complain though and met Tetsuya when passing the gates.

"Tsuna-san." The Disciplinary member greeted. "Are you feeling better? I didn't see you this morning."

"Y-yes, thank you, Tetsuya-san." Tsuna replied with a smile. "It will be over by tomorrow."

"That's good to hear." Tetsuya then shot a glance at Reborn still in the brunet's hair. He contemplated for a brief moment if he should question it but since Tsuna wasn't saying anything, he chose to ignore the issue. "Do you need someone to accompany you on your way home?"

"I'll be fine, Tetsuya-san." The other teen chuckled softly. "Don't worry about me."

"Alright then, Tsuna-san. Don't hesitate if you need anything though."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tsuna promised and waved at Tetsuya.

Reborn noted that the brunet wasn't as alone as he presumed. The teen did manage to get a Cloud Guardian by himself –not that he knew that but he would soon understand- and seemed to have at least another protector from bullies. However, Tsuna kept his distance, not making any move to get closer. It was as if he made himself unreachable in purpose to discourage any form of friendly relation. That wouldn't do. Now, Reborn was completely okay with keeping his guard up and choosing to prevent any attachment towards anyone since he was doing it for years, but he was a hitman, of course he would have to do that in order to protect himself, paranoia aside. However, Tsuna was different. He was meant to be Vongola Decimo so he needed Guardians. It wasn't by clamming up that he would find them.

That didn't mean that Reborn didn't understand why Tsuna was acting like this. It was probably linked to his degrading nicknames and his bullies. It was a way to protect himself from everyone, including himself. If he was to give his trust to the wrong person, his hope would be crushed, his feelings following behind, and his mind would fall even lower. Another thing the infant would have to work on.

"Reborn, what do you want to eat tonight?" Tsuna suddenly asked, slowly dragging his words out of his lips.

At least, he had stopped to stutter. Though, he would have to speak faster and clearer for Reborn to actually consider it a remarkable progress. The hitman tipped his fedora down as they entered the house with a "We're back!" from the teen.

"What can you cook?"

"Japanese meals." The brunet replied. "I don't know about Italian ones."

"Cook as you would usually." Reborn finally decided, wanting to observe him at work.

Tsuna hummed thoughtfully, thinking, while the infant jumped on the floor. The teen knew that his mother would finish last night's leftovers at her return. Checking what he had, he settled for omurice. It wasn't a difficult dish and since he could use ingredients that were already available, he wouldn't have to go out to buy groceries. He would go tomorrow when he wouldn't be so sleepy. Despite his headache, it was quite a good day for Tsuna. One, he hadn't been attacked by yôkai nor by humans. Two, Kyôya had actually forced him to rest without biting him to death before. Three, he would soon be healed. Aside from this morning –and his starving stomach-, he was quite lucky. It was too early however to eat and judging by his drowsiness, if he didn't want to cause a fire later when cooking, he should take a nap.

"I-I'll sleep a little bit before making d-dinner." Tsuna announced, fidgeting in growing nervousness.

Taking the following silence as an agreement, he went upstairs, some bakenekos tagging along.

* * *

Tsuna woke up exactly at the same moment he felt his mother coming home. Falling off his bed with a "oof!" and rubbing his temples in hope to ease his still present headache, he noticed absently that he wasn't as sleepy as before. Getting up, he went downstairs carefully as to not trip to greet her back. He could tell that she was tired so he was glad to be taking care of dinner. Getting into the kitchen, he chose to add the leftovers to the usual ingredients to make three omurice. While he was cooking, Nana went to shower, letting herself relax.

Reborn observed the brunet from his seat on one of the chairs where some cushions were piled to permit him to reach comfortably the table. Obviously, Tsuna was used to preparing meals, bustling efficiently around without unnecessary movements. His demeanor actually changed, gaining confidence and his clumsiness decreasing drastically. The thirteen-year-old boy was even humming softly, completely focused. He was enjoying cooking, a small smile settled on his lips. Good. That was something that Reborn wouldn't have to teach. He would have to teach him however to pay attention to his surroundings every time.

When Nana came in the kitchen, she was welcomed with the sight of an already prepared meal. She smiled and sat down, quietly greeting Reborn. Waiting for her son to join them, she glanced at the cats. They were unusually protective today, surrounding them, keeping an eye on the infant. She was ready to bet that they had chosen to stay near Tsuna in case he needed them. They definitely didn't like the hitman. Nana shot a look at Kage-chan who jumped on the brunet's lap as usual, purring softly.

"How are you feeling today, Tsu-kun?" She decided to ask, in order to obtain answers quicker.

"Much better, thanks to the medicine." Tsuna answered with a smile, determined to ignore the rapt attention coming from Reborn, listening. It would help him to avoid stuttering. "In fact, I wanted to thank you." He knew that both his mother and Kogane would understand what he meant.

Nana smiled knowingly and with appreciation. "Did you get some side-effects?"

"Yeah." He winced and rubbed his temples, hoping to ease his throbbing headache. "I have a strong migraine, and I'm super sleepy, falling easily asleep." He then looked slightly guilty. "I even dozed off standing when I was going to school. Thankfully Reborn woke me up." He pretended he hadn't heard Kage-chan snort a little in an attempt to muffle a laugh.

"Is that so?" Nana whispered, glancing at Reborn who had blinked and looked at Tsuna when he had heard the nekomata. "How is your ankle?"

"I'll be healed tomorrow, I think." He replied, missing the hitman's quirked eyebrow as he gulped down his omurice. "I'll probably keep that headache for a while though."

"Kiyome-sensei is really skillful, isn't he?" She commented thoughtfully.

"Frighteningly so." Tsuna agreed with a grimace. "It would be perfect if his medicine didn't have any side-effects and if he was a little bit less…" He trailed off, struggling to find the right word while his mother laughed heartily. "Anyway, I'll thank him next time he passes by." He concluded with a little cough.

"I'm sure he will come soon." Her laugh decreased to knowing chuckles.

"Why? Did he say anything?" He tilted his head to the right, already grabbing the empty plates.

"No, but I know that he likes to check time to time if you're okay, Tsu-kun." She replied and her smile strained. "His visits aren't as frequent as before, but he insists to come regularly, you know that. It's been a few months since last time."

"That's… true." He conceded as his left arm initiated a movement toward his other shoulder, but since he was still carrying the plates, he stopped himself. He got up, forcing Kage-chan who had fallen silent to jump on the floor. He made his way to the sink. "I forget sometimes." He admitted, sounding far away.

"I'm relieved to know that it doesn't weigh you down, Tsu-kun." Her face softened, and her fondness laced her voice into a softer tone. "I-"

"Mom." He interrupted her softly, already knowing where the conversation was going. "It's alright. I'm okay." He repeated it several times, completely disregarding the dishes and awkwardly hugging her as she was still sitting.

Reborn watched them in silence, feeling completely put out. It wasn't surprising since they were referring to a past event, something serious which had happened years ago, leaving pain and guilt for respectively Tsuna and Nana. Something that had left scars, as his gaze landed on the brunet's right shoulders. He would see them next time the teen changed in his presence. The hitman needed to know, was it plain curiosity or a real try to better understand his student, he didn't really care. To become a reliable person, before being a good boss, Tsuna would have to accept every traumatic events that could have happened. It was necessary to build a strong mind and to prevent the formation of weaknesses.

Once Nana was calm again, she swiftly announced that she would take care of the dishes. Tsuna didn't say anything, simply smiling kindly. He then climbed the stairs to take a few of his clothes and went to shower, avoiding taking a bath in case he fell asleep in the tub. Reborn didn't follow him, choosing instead to stay a little bit longer with Nana. He observed her in silence, one hand around a cup of espresso. Kage-chan settled on one of the chair, curious about the discussion about to happen. The brunette was wiping the plates and the flatware, humming absently, just like her son earlier. She put away everything, guessing that the hitman wanted to talk with her. She didn't sit and stood before him with determined eyes. Knowing Tsuna, he wouldn't have said anything he judged unnecessary and had probably stick to the truth as vaguely as possible. For anyone who wanted clear answers, he could be very frustrating if not infuriating.

"Nana." Reborn began, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Tsuna told me that you've been attacked seven times."

Her eyes sharpened instantly, taking a darker shade. For a split second, she looked way too dangerous for a civilian. Then, she blinked and the impression vanished.

"He remembered seven of them." She simply answered with an unfazed smile. "He was too young for the first ones. Iemitsu's boss' visit worsened the situation for a while after."

Reborn forced himself to relax his grip on his cup. It was astonishing how Iemitsu could be so ignorant and careless. The man didn't know anything about his family and had no idea how he had managed to endanger them. Nana and Tsuna would have been safer with him in Italy, disregarding the possibility of the son becoming an heir or a possible successor. Hell, he wouldn't have been so vulnerable. Next time Reborn met Iemitsu, he would probably shoot him through the head. Someone who failed to protect his family couldn't protect the Family. It was a wonder how the blond could be so efficient in his work. Then another question came.

"How did you deal with them?"

"We have great friends." She replied dismissively with a fond smile and a glance toward the black cat.

What the hell did that mean? With no little amount of irritation, the hitman noticed that both mother and son had answered in the same way, both telling vague truth. He suppressed the urge to shoot someone, already knowing that until he gained their trust, he wasn't going to know what was been kept hidden to everyone else but them. He couldn't use his usual ways unfortunately. He probably should drop the questions for a while. Nana watched him with a small amount of amusement. She decided to help him but just a little. She knew why Tsuna acted like he did, but somewhere inside her, she knew that he needed help, help to open up, especially to others humans. She was ready to bet on this tiny but deadly man while praying that she wasn't mistaken.

"Kiyome-sensei is one of our great friends." She informed him, knowing that he was listening intently. "He knows Tsu-kun since he's six. He is fond of him and is always ready to help my boy whenever he needs it. He is his self-proclaimed doctor after all." She concluded with a chuckle.

"Will I be able to meet him?" Reborn was curious, indeed. For him, the guy matched the definition of a charlatan, but since Nana seemed to trust him and knowing that she was far from oblivious, he was ready to reconsider his opinion.

"You'll have to ask Tsu-kun."

One of his eyebrows quirked at that answer, silently questioning.

"Kiyome-sensei will come back soon to check on Tsu-kun." She said as an explanation. "It's up to him to allow you two to meet since Kiyome-sensei will only come for a check-up and get some news. He won't stay unless Tsu-kun asks him to."

"You can't convince Tsuna or Kiyome to talk to me?" Reborn insisted, slightly disturbed. Nana didn't have any say on her son's decisions?

She chuckled in genuine amusement. "Tsu-kun is a bit stubborn sometimes, and Kiyome-sensei is capricious but he won't do anything that would upset Tsu-kun too much."

"I have the impression that Tsuna doesn't want me to meet his doctor." The hitman commented.

She hummed thoughtfully. "Tsu-kun doesn't completely trust you." She replied with a kind smile to soften her words. "In fact, he probably trusts only a few people. I hope that you'll be able to get him to open up. Loneliness is a terrible feeling."

Sadness settled in her eyes. She may be here for him and loved him with all her heart but there was a limit to what she could do. Tsuna needed friends, others that Kage-chan and the others yôkai. He needed human friends for even if he was the only Conciliator, even if he had to deal with ayakashi matters, he was firstly human. He needed balance between humans and yôkai or he would end up by favoring one over another and losing what made him a rightful Conciliator and a sane person. Humans shouldn't stay exclusively with yôkai, it could turn quite harmful for the former.

Reborn wasn't surprised. He had already observed how Tsuna kept his distance with the others. His constant bullying certainly didn't help. However, he had the impression that there was something else, something really important that played a big part.

"Did something happen to Tsuna?" He needed to know if it came from a trauma or if it was something else.

Several emotions crossed Nana's face, too quickly for him to recognize them all. He definitely saw pain, anger and guilt though. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm down.

"The school doesn't even adapt its classes for Tsu-kun." She suddenly hissed. "The bullying doesn't stop, not matter how many times I tried to put an end to it. My boy comes back home regularly hurt but he doesn't say anything and accepts it all, as if it was normal. So yes, Reborn-san, a lot of things happen to Tsu-kun. Very few of them are good."

She fought to control her anger and deciding to put an end to the conversation, she put up her mask of obliviousness, smiling sweetly at the hitman.

"I wish you a good night, Reborn-kun." Nana concluded, switching the honorifics as usual when she played this role and quietly left the kitchen.

Next morning, a little after six, Tsuna woke up with a light headache. No surprises here. He expected it to linger for maybe a few days. Sitting up, he moved carefully his ankle, testing it. He grinned when he didn't feel any pain and happily stood up, ready to begin the day in a rare good mood. Then he remembered that the hitman had been sent to train him and judging by the brief moments shared with him, the brunet had no doubt that it would be difficult. Tsuna absolutely hated the idea of fighting – only doing so when he didn't have other choices. He was awful at it and more often than not, he get hurt. If Reborn trained him however, then maybe would he be able to correctly dodge and avoid, even defend himself. Most of all, he would finally able to protect those he cared about. That didn't mean that he was impatient to begin, though.

Absorbed by his thoughts, he didn't even notice Reborn following him into the kitchen. He began to prepare a traditional breakfast, absently humming.

"I take it that you're completely healed."

Tsuna jumped in fright, dropping his chopsticks into the sink before wildly turning around.

"You need to always maintain your guard up, Dame-Tsuna, or you'll die." Reborn chided him, rewarded by the brief sight of the brunet's widen eyes.

"Right." His student mumbled, calming down. "I'm healed." He added after with a strained smile, clearly not enjoying the perspective of training.

The hitman smirked. His student had no idea of what was coming to him. Well, he needed to evaluate him before really starting. It wouldn't do any good if he pushed too far the teen. It would be counterproductive.

"Eat lightly." He ordered as the brunet returned to his cooking. "You'll be running before going to school."

Tsuna didn't say anything, simply nodding in acknowledgement. He gave a bowl of miso soup, one of rice and grilled salmon to Reborn with a cup of coffee, while he simply took some miso and an omelet with a glass of orange juice. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen on a box on the counter placed here for a purpose, he wrote some things to buy later. To his surprise, the bakeneko simply come on the table without requesting anything. Well, they didn't need to absorb his spiritual energy every day after all. He silently wondered if Kage-chan would be going with them or stay inside the house to sleep. Without the purring of the cats, the two humans finished their meal in complete silence.

Awkward. There wasn't any other word to describe their meal and now, the laps around the town. They hardly spoke to each other –well, Tsuna wasn't talkative but _still_ , this silence was almost scary- and when they _did_ , well, it was mostly Reborn giving him directions for the exercises. Kage-chan wasn't helping at all, snickering silently not too far, keeping an eye on them. His thoughts came to a halt when he noticed an unusual dull presence near his mailbox. Curious, he opened his eyes to determine what was wrong exactly, slowing down unconsciously.

"SAWADA!" A loud voice exclaimed abruptly before Reborn could hit his student as a reprimand.

"Sa-Sasagawa-sempai?" The brunet then let out a soft yelp of pain when the hitman pulled out his hair from where he was seated.

"Don't stutter." He reminded Tsuna. "Who's this?" He asked then, feigning ignorance despite knowing exactly his identity, especially when the boy was a potential Sun Guardian.

"Sasagawa Ryôhei." His student replied quietly, his voice sounding worried. "There's something wrong." He added in a mutter, more for himself than for his tutor.

"Are you doing one of your extreme exercises?" The older teen questioned in a subdued voice as he followed them.

Count on Sasagawa to think escaping hungry yôkai was nothing else but a regular training. Well, Tsuna couldn't blame him –after all, he was Sightless. In fact, the brunet liked the upperclassman. He was one of the few to help him with his bullies and take him to the nurse.

"Sempai, why were you near the mailbox?" He needed to know if it was linked to his sempai's flames. Usually, there were so bright that their energy was contagious, affecting everyone near them. To feel them so calm was very worrying.

"I don't know!" Sasagawa answered honestly as usual, causing Tsuna to trip. The older teen grabbed his arm without thinking to prevent him from falling. "Yesterday, Hibari told me to go there, near the temple, because I was annoying him and saying that a small animal would be able to help me! But I didn't see any small animals." He added with a frown.

"Ah, no, I am the small animal." Tsuna clarified. "It's what Ky-Hibari-san calls me."

"I see!" Sasagawa replied with an excited smile. "I need your help, Sawada. Can you come with me?"

"Yes." The brunet didn't think twice before agreeing. Whatever was going on was something serious.

"You're in the middle of your training, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn reminded him with an annoyed voice.

"I-it's too important for me to ignore." His student retorted, following his sempai who seemingly recovered a boost of energy, rushing ahead.

"Are you saying that my training is not?" The hitman asked dryly.

Tsuna quickly paled, recognizing irritation in his tone. "I-it is important, of course." He rectified hastily. "B-basically, what you're t-teaching me w-will probably save my life. B-but-"

"Don't stutter, I said." Reborn interrupted him, pulling out his hair again.

The brunet winced but knew better than to complain. "Sempai's problem seems to be urgent. He also helped me before when…"His voice trailed off as he suddenly focused on Sasagawa.

The teen had slowed down as they approached a house a little bit bigger than Tsuna's. Reborn guessed that they had been lead to his home –hypothesis confirmed when he saw the family name on the plate. His student stopped beside his sempai, taking the opportunity to breathe deeply and waiting for him to open both gates and door. They entered quietly with each of the teen mumbling a different greeting.

"What happened, Sempai?" Tsuna asked softly, his eyes staring at one point in particular, completely oblivious of the ceiling which should have blocked his gaze.

"It's Kyoko." Sasagawa answered, his tone dead serious as he led them upstairs. He then opened one door, entering into his sister's bedroom. "We asked several doctors but none of them had been able to say what's wrong." He went to her bed, sitting in one of the chair near it. "She's been sleeping for five days now without waking up or even signaling that she can hear us."

Indeed, the girl was seemingly peacefully asleep, comfortably settled on her bed. Her arms were out of the covers, on her sides, paled. Her brother took one of her hands and frowned when he felt it a little bit colder than before.

"I don't know what to do." He carried on, frustration lacing his voice. "So when Hibari told me that you may be able to help…"He shrugged before looking at the brunet with a hopeful expression.

Tsuna, while listening to his sempai, kept his eyes focused on the siblings. He _saw_ how Ryôhei's flames reached for Kyoko's ones. He _saw_ how Ryôhei had been exhausting himself by unconsciously giving his flames to his sister in hope to help her recover or at least, live longer. He _saw_ how Kyoko's flames were weak, slowly but surely decreasing in vitality, barely surviving. He _saw_ why Ryôhei wasn't himself, far from his energetic and bright self, giving himself to his sister. He _saw_ how Ryôhei had been saving Kyoko from sinking into the darkness. He _saw_ the worry, the exhaustion, the frustration, the helplessness and the hope. And he _saw_ how Kyoko would finally leave her brother if nothing was done. He _saw_ all of this and he decided to act. Approaching the bed and staying near to Ryôhei to offer his silent comfort, he extended a gentle hand and touched Kyoko's forehead.

Reborn jumped on the floor, taking some distance to observe. He noticed how the older teen seemed to relax gradually, watching both Tsuna and his sister. It wasn't surprising. Even Reborn was affected after all. The brat wasn't even aware of what he was doing. The hitman had heard from Nono how he had sealed the boy's Sky flames in order to offer him a civilian life. It had been a mistake obviously, as it was shown in the clumsiness, the complete loose of balance his student suffered from. It could have been worse, though. The seal was cracking, even without the Dying Will Bullets. It had been cracking for a while now, Reborn had felt it –and now, Tsuna was letting his Sky flames affecting the Sasagawas siblings and the hitman to offer comfort and hope, a silent promise that everything would be okay for he would make sure everything would be.

Reborn simply observed in the sidelines, noticing how Sasagawa Ryôhei's Sun flames recovered slowly. And the teens weren't even Harmonized, let alone properly bonded. Tsuna wasn't anyone Sky but if he managed to help the girl, he would gain a Sun without any doubt. His eyes turned to the door, sensing another presence, spotting Kage-chan. His attention returned to his student when a sudden pulse of Sky flames resonated into the room. It was pure, strong but odd. As if there was something else merged into them, something that he couldn't recognize. Another mystery.

Kage-chan approached the bed in perfect silence, undetected by the older teen. She was the only one who had noticed the mark on the girl's arm. She knew it. It was a curse born from an akuryô, an evil spirit called by jealousy and hatred, latched on a chosen victim to quickly drain its life. Her cub was blind to signs and appearances but he could go beyond to reach truth and reality. When she saw him retracting his hand, she got ready to work.

"Can you save her, Sawada?"

The quiet question startled Tsuna out of his thoughts.

"No." He answered, stepping away. "I can help her. She is the only one able to save herself." His face softened, morphing into a kinder expression. "You've done enough, sempai. Rest. I'm taking care of everything."

He then crouched down to stroke Kage-chan's head and whispered. "Go."

The cat let out a pleased purr before swiftly leaving the room. She had been given carte blanche by this simple word, allowed to eat or destroy the akuryô. It was with a dark glee that she began her hunt.

Tsuna sighed, briefly passing a hand on his face and closing his eyes. There was only one way to free Kyoko from the draining curse and it was to annihilate the evil spirit. Exorcised or eaten, the result would be the same. Plus, the brunet didn't know how to exorcise and frankly, he didn't want to learn. At least, one of them would be enjoying their task. He silently pondered on his next move.

"School began in half an hour, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn's voice brought him back on Earth.

"Let's go then."

They left the house, not before assuring Ryôhei that they would be back. Tsuna ran all the way to his place, hurrying in order to at least grab his stuff. He was still sweaty from his earlier laps-cut-short but it was the least of his worries. He rushed his way to his bedroom, tripping in the stairs and getting up in one movement. He knew the offerings were still in place, waiting to be picked up, and laid down on the floor, stretching his arm under his bed. Taking hold of a box, he slid it towards him and opened it. His fingers brushed several charms that he had carefully created, throbbing with his own power. They were all for protection, just like his talismans, but they worked differently. Charms were usually preventive, always a step ahead from the malice. Taking one, he closed the box and pushed it under the bed. Rising up, he changed into his uniform without bothering with his tie and grabbing his bag, he rushed outside, Reborn following him with a multitude of questions swirling in his mind.

For once, Kyôya wasn't at the gates to observe the students. Reborn had once again disappeared just when Tsuna entered the hall of the building, getting his indoors shoes. The brunet went to his classes mechanically, his thoughts on Kage-chan's hunt. He barely paid attention to the teachers, answering wrongly when asked without giving a care for the laughs afterwards. He was too tense to pay any mind. At lunch, he isolated himself by climbing to the roof, waiting a sign from the nekomata. He didn't have time to prepare a bento so he simply laid, absorbing the warmth given by the sun. It wasn't until his science class with Nezu-sensei that Tsuna finally spotted Kage-chan. Her presence was just outside, in the corridor, by the door. Grabbing his stuff, he left the class without any word, deaf to the teacher's reprimand. It wasn't the first time the brunet left in the middle of a lesson, and it would certainly not be the last.

"Did you find the akuryô?" Tsuna asked the nekomata, walking towards the stairs leading to the roof.

"The coward hid into its invoker." She spat, annoyed. "It caught sight of me and fled before I could do anything."

"Did you see who it was?" They sat on the top of the stairs.

"Yes but it would be a hassle to search for the possessed girl. There are too many humans and we don't have much time. In two hours, she –and the akuryô inside her- would probably leave the school's grounds." Kage-chan pointed out. "Use your senses."

"No way." He refused immediately. "I can't separate each and every one of them when everyone is here! It's possible when there are only clubs and the rest is away. Well, sometimes, not always."

"If you wait, you're going to let the spirit escape without any problem. If you don't catch it now, it will be too late for the girl."

Tsuna paled, thinking about how broken would be Sasagawa-sempai if his sister succumbed to the curse. He swallowed and bit his lower lip. "Alright. I'll try."

Standing up, he opened the door leading to the roof. Walking a few steps, he stopped near the fence, letting the wind caress his wild hair and breathing deeply.

And then, he _looked._

He _saw_ flames. Dying Will Flames everywhere, all of them inside the buildings, in the gym, outside in the fields and if he let his gaze wonder a little bit further, in the streets and in the nearest houses. Not all of them were as strong as Kyôya's or Reborn's, both present in the same room. All different and all dancing. All of them expressing their deepest feelings and their secret thoughts. So many flames. Too many.

His migraine pulsated behind his eyes in a steady and dynamic pace, steadily confusing Tsuna. He wanted nothing more but to close his eyes to stop seeing too much, feeling and sensing too much. He wanted to sleep, to drop unconscious and to rest. He couldn't though. If he did that, a brother would lose a sister and fall further into a loneliness caused by absent parents, by a cold house. He had _seen_ his sempai's flames and he had _known_ what he shouldn't.

Once again, he forced himself to _look_.

Once again, flames roared to life before him. He focused first on the fields, searching. He was looking for odd, bland and slightly blurred flames. Yôkai didn't have flames –they didn't need it, especially when they already had spiritual power. So, when they possessed humans, they tended to disturb flames. Some reacted violently to the intrusion. Struck by this thought, Tsuna stepped back and crouched down, putting a palm on the roof. With a last effort, he focused on the flames beneath him. Walls, ceilings and floors weren't obstacles.

After all, Tsuna was _blind_ to anything but flames.

Letting a small cry of victory, he hastily stood up, almost tripping. With a sigh of relief, he closed his eyes and met Kage-chan in the stairs, leaving the roof. He signaled her to follow him, hurrying up in the corridors. The possessed girl was with the nurse, ready to leave. Storm Flames usually reacted quite negatively when yôkai intruded. In other words, their owner could fall sick and at least, feel unwell. It was exactly the case for this girl. Running toward the infirmary, his ears caught the sound of a sliding door. Without slowing down to surprise both spirit and human, Tsuna extended his hand, palm first, his fingers twitching as he felt his spiritual power rushing, and hit her forehead. With a pained cry, she stumbled back, confused. He didn't hesitate and caught her arm, tugging it to help her maintain her balance.

Kage-chan immediately leaped, transforming halfway into her real form and swallowed the evil spirit whole. She clacked her jaws with satisfaction, licking her chops. Since her job was done, she spared a glance at her cub and promptly vanished.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" The girl exploded, recognizing her so-called aggressor and recovering harshly her arm.

"You'll feel better in a bit." Tsuna answered without missing a beat, unfazed by her outburst. He had other important matters in his mind. "You should also stop thinking that."

She twitched slightly, startled. "What are you talking about, Dame-Tsuna?" She asked aggressively, before wondering why exactly she was still with this loser.

"You cursed Sasagawa-san's gentleness, didn't you?" He replied simply, causing his interlocutor to flinch. "You're jealous because you envy her bright personality. You think that you're nothing like that, that you're mean, completely different from her." He then smiled kindly, understanding. "You hate yourself because you think that by being who you are, you disappoint everyone around you, which cause them to hate you and leave you."

She stared at him speechless, struck by how pertinent he was. How? Wasn't he simply Dame-Tsuna? A blind student who couldn't stop tripping and smacking into walls and doors? How could he be so observant when he didn't see anything? Worse, they hadn't spoken to each other before. And yet, he had managed to notice that?

"Now tell me," Tsuna carried on, his ears listening to approaching steps, "if you were so horrible, do you think your friends would come rushing here when learning that you've fainted in class?"

Dumbly, she turned to see them walking fast towards her, too afraid to run in case Kyôya heard them. She faced once again the brunet, stupefied.

"You don't need to curse others to keep your friends." He hummed gently. "They like you for who you are, even if you don't know yet who you are and who you want to be." He smiled again one last time before walking away, adding some last words. "You don't need to be someone else to be loved."

She stared once again at him without a word, deaf to her friends' questions. For the first time from way too long, she felt calm and comforted. With simply a few words, he had managed to ease her shoulders from a weight that was slowly crushing her. As she looked at the retreating teen, she wondered exactly why he was called Dame-Tsuna.

* * *

"Reborn?" Tsuna called in the hall of the building, taking out his shoes. "W-would you please come out? I know you're here."

"Skipping classes, Dame-Tsuna?" The infant asked with a dangerous glint in his eyes, coming from Kami-knows-where. "No student of mine missed lessons."

The brunet tensed, growing nervous. However, even Reborn's threats wouldn't prevent him from going. He needed to check if the curse had disappeared. If not, it would mean that they had caught the wrong spirit. It would be terrible and possibly fatal for Sasagawa-san in this case.

"Time is ticking." He whispered to himself, heard by his tutor. "I have to check on Sasagawa-san."

"She can wait a little bit longer, Dame-Tsuna." The hitman replied. "You didn't go to school yesterday and with today, you're going to fall behind."

"Life will always be more important than everything else, Reborn." The teen stated stubbornly.

Then he darted out, trying to escape from a conversation he didn't want to have. Of course, Reborn followed him effortlessly and jumped on his head.

"Hibari will bite you to death for leaving before the end of your classes." He warned his student.

"T-there's a chance that he won't." Uncertainty laced his voice, aware that it would be more probable for Kyôya to scold him via tonfas.

"Why wouldn't he?" Reborn asked anyways.

"B-because he knows why I'm skipping."

Silence fell. Tsuna suppressed the urge to put Reborn on the ground and run away as fast as possible. The hitman's frustration irradiated from him so darkly, it gave him the chills. He tried desperately to find something to say but anything that came to mind involved yôkai or flames, so he stayed silent. Idly he wondered when Reborn would snap and extract the answers from him forcefully. Turning at another corner, the infant recognized Sasagawa's house. Tsuna let his fingers brushed the fences and the plates, reading the names. Reaching his destination, he stopped hesitantly at the front door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on it. Reborn spotted the doorbell and activated it for good measure. They didn't have to wait long before the door was thrown open by an excited white-hair teen. Apparently, he had recovered enough to be his usual energetic self.

"SAWADA!" He exclaimed with a grin on his face. "You need to extremely see Kyoko!"

Before Tsuna could utter a single word, he felt his arm being pulled and was half-dragged to her bedroom. The brunet stumbled inside, briefly opening his eyes. He closed them immediately after, relieved. The curse was gone. Kage-chan had effectively caught the good one. Kyoko was now awake, though a little bit weak.

"Sawada-kun?" She sounded a little bit surprised to see him.

"You know each other?" Her brother asked, equally surprised for another reason however.

"Y-yes, Sempai." Tsuna confirmed. "We're in the same class."

"I extremely didn't know!" The older teen looked at his sister. "That simplifies things! Kyoko, it's thanks to Sawada that you're all better now!"

"Really?" She asked, glancing at the brunet who seemed a little bit embarrassed. "Well, in this case, thank you, Sawada-kun."

Tsuna blushed a little, his shyness coming back. He was still not used to receive forms of gratefulness. He waved a hand awkwardly.

"Y-you don't need to thank me, Sasagawa-san." He then took out his charm and handed it over to her. "It's for protection, to prevent something like this to happen again." He added, managing to look and sound serious despite his slightly red cheeks. For a few seconds, he feared she wouldn't take it. To his relief, she grabbed it with another thanks.

"For everything you've done, Sawada, I am very grateful." Sasagawa-sempai suddenly spoke up in a serious tone. "I didn't know what I would have done if…"

"It's okay, sempai." Tsuna interrupted him, understanding. "I was glad to be able to help."

"You should call me Onii-san or at least Ryôhei!" The teen decided immediately with a bright smile on his face. "You're part of the family now!"

"Oh, huh, okay…" The brunet said, quite bemused.

"Call me Kyoko." The girl added, agreeing with his brother. "We can call you Tsuna, can't we?"

"S-sure." He accepted without thinking, acknowledging that he didn't control anything. "I'll see you in school, Kyoko-chan… Onii-san." He decided, knowing it would make them happy.

He managed to leave after a few minutes with Ryôhei who thanked him again and tried to get a promise to join his boxing club since Tsuna was definitely an "EXTREME man". The brunet let out a sigh of relief once outside. Reborn hadn't said a word when he was within the siblings' house but now that they were going home, he wasn't going to hold back his questions.

"So, what exactly did you do?"

The brunet froze momentarily, having completely forgotten the hitman on his head before resuming his walk, hurrying. It was quite pointless since Reborn was on his head. Well, there was no hurt in trying, right? He rubbed his forehead tiredly. He had been focusing on the Sasagawas' problems and now that everything was settled, his headache almost prevented him to think clearly. He kind of wished to drop unconscious right where he was, both to block out his migraine and to escape from his tutor's interrogation. He couldn't lie but he didn't want to tell the whole truth either. He also didn't want to say anything that could annoy the infant. But this sort of situations could happen again because of his position as Conciliator. It was better to spit out some information –especially if priests or exorcists called him for his help.

"I did my job." Tsuna finally answered, thinking about what he should say and how. "K-Kyôya-san already knows about it, and that's exactly why he let me go earlier. I-I've been helping and protecting Namimori in my own way, just as he does with the Disciplinary Committee."

"That didn't answer my question, Dame-Tsuna." The hitman retorted dryly. "And if you stutter again, I'll shoot you."

The brunet didn't want to go into details. Well, it wasn't as if he could tell Reborn to forget it and move on. He would most likely get worse than a few shots for his cheekiness if a stammer get him a bullet.

"Yes, yes, it did." The teen protested tiredly, rubbing his temples this time but being careful with his words. He was always drained when he used his eyes, even when it was short. "My work is a little bit unconventional so people usually don't understand what I do nor do they want to. However, they know they can turn to me when their problems can't be resolved normally. Just like Sasa-Kyoko-chan." Yes, he was beating around the bush and no, he wasn't ashamed. He was scared as he could almost hear his tutor's patience straining to the point of nearly snapping.

Reborn exhorted himself to be patient. As a hitman, he knew how to wait in order to give the one and only deadly shot, to observe the shifts of minions in a building before sneaking into it and striking his target –and the list went on. He knew patience when it concerned his profession. So he wouldn't let a scrawny thirteen-year-old boy get the better of him.

"What about Kyoko? What was her 'problem'?" He decided to play along, decorticating his student's answers.

Tsuna remembered her withering flames. "She was fading away. Life was flowing out of her. Onii-san had been helping her to the point of exhausting himself but eventually… she would be gone."

"What caused this?"

The brunet paused as they faced the front door of the house. He could hear some mews belonging to the bakeneko, already welcoming him. He unlocked the door and let his bag fall on the floor. Making his way to the kitchen, he grabbed his list of groceries, some bags and a wallet.

"Sometimes, wishes are fulfilled. Sometimes, curses are. Either way, words, spoken and unspoken hold too much power to be treated lightly." He replied finally, stepping outside still in his uniform.

"That's why you spoke with this girl, outside the infirmary."

Tsuna silently wondered how much Reborn understood. The hitman connected quickly the dots. "Jealousy and envy are both dangerous emotions. Sometimes, we act without meaning to, harming others when all we wanted was acknowledgment, and we simply earned regret."

Silence settled. The brunet hoped that his little words with her had helped her to open her eyes and to prevent her from forming others ill-wishes and curses. Reborn shifted slightly, peering down.

"Basically, you're telling me that this girl had cursed Kyoko into this coma?" He asked, struggling to keep his voice even and erase any trace of incredulity.

"Not exactly." His student answered, turning into another street. "It's a little bit more complicated." They entered the shop and he began to grab some items, obviously used to the chore. "Her curses and ill-wishes were general which means that anything could have happened. Kyoko-chan could have fallen in the stairs or broken a limb or get hit by a car, anything really. It just happened that the a- that her luck picked the coma for her." He almost told about the evil spirit. That wouldn't do. "I gave her a charm to deflect another attempt of the same kind."

He paused, focusing on choosing between two tomatoes. Reborn didn't say anything, keeping silent. Putting back the undesired one, he sighed. "I do not ask you to believe me, Reborn. I've been doing my job for years now and even people in this town who witnessed several times my doing don't believe me. It's just…"He cut himself when he noticed he was going a little bit too far. He didn't want to tell his secrets or to share his feelings to the hitman. "Fine." He concluded lamely. "Do you need something, Reborn?" He asked afterwards, trying to change the subject.

"Coffee beans. You need quality to make a decent coffee." The infant accepted to drop the matter, still debating over the discussion.

"Alright. Well, if you could please pick them yourselves, I would be grateful. I don't know a thing about beans."

The hitman sighed but complied, motivated by the perspective of drinking better coffee. Tsuna grabbed a last item before heading towards the cashiers. The teen paused momentarily when he heard a familiar voice. Smiling, he greeted the cashier, a woman in her thirties.

"Good afternoon, Ashiya-san."

For an instant, she looked startled, her eyes glancing up. She broke into a smile when she recognized her client. "Tsuna-kun! It has been a while since I last saw you. How are you?"

"Fine. Kyôya-san is a ruthless as always and Mom has managed to put a term to a few troubles she had at work." He answered while putting the groceries on the counter.

"And who is this little guy on your head?" Ashiya asked with no small amount of amusement.

"Ciaossu." Reborn intervened. "I'm Reborn, Tsuna's home tutor."

She blinked and sent a quick glance at the brunet. She started to look a little nervous, her hands slightly shaking when grabbing the item. Sensing her trouble, Tsuna smiled reassuringly at her. "It's okay, Ashiya-san. He is simply my home tutor, teaching me school and life stuffs. He won't do any harm. Listen, he even managed to help me stutter less."

She relaxed a little even if she kept a wary eye on the infant. "That's true." She admitted, reporting half her attention on her task of scanning. "When we first met, it was a little bit difficult to understand you."

"It still is." He confessed as he began to put the objects in the bags. "I don't stammer when I'm completely at ease with someone or when I'm focusing on something…"

"Yes, I remember." She replied, slowing down. "Your words were clear when you were saving me."

Tsuna's cheeks predictably reddened a little and he wildly waved one of his hands, occupied with a box of sugar cubes. "I didn't…"

"Yes, you did." She insisted firmly, gently handing him an item he had forgotten. "I wouldn't be here with my insufferable clients otherwise." She smiled when she heard the teen stifled a chuckle.

He sobered up, taking out the wallet for the groceries. "So… everything's alright now?" He needed to be sure. It had been really long since he had heard Ashiya-san and the last time, she sounded terrified, lost and shocked. It wasn't a very comforting sound. How many years had it been?

"I'm fine, Tsuna." Ashiya answered, handing him his change and announcing it. "I had my family's support even if they don't know exactly what happened. They're thankful to you too, and would like to meet you. I'm not alone anymore and I've understood that it will probably never happen again. After all, you gave me enough charms for a lifetime." She laughed at that, her eyes shining in mirth.

"They don't…?"

"No, none of them had to activate. I'm fine, Tsuna." She asserted one last time. "And don't try to escape from me. One day, I'll drag you to my family and you will have the grateful party you so deserve. Remember, I simply have to ambush you here."

Tsuna laughed in a mix of amusement and relief. "I'll be careful from now on. See you next time, Ashiya-san."

They excited the shop, the brunet in a bright mood. He made his way through the crowds, careful of both the hitman and his bags. He had fragile items after all, like eggs. He knew Namimori like the back of his hand so he had no problem to find quieter streets. Reborn waited until they entered one void of people before speaking up.

"Didn't you say that people in Namimori don't understand your job and therefore avoid you?"

"Ashiya-san doesn't live in Namimori but in one of the neighboring town." Tsuna answered absently, taking a detour to pass by the temple.

"You met through your job?"

"Yes." He confirmed, frowning a little, his mood completely ruined as memories came back. "I won't tell more. I don't think she wants me to talk about what happened."

He stopped in front of the mailbox, unlocking it. To his surprise, there wasn't any request. Good. Sensing the hitman curiosity, he explained. "It's one of the ways to contact me. Send a letter, call me or find me. I don't have anything today."

"How often do you receive a request?"

"Weekly, if not daily."

That was really often. "What kind of job is it exactly? You didn't explain much." Reborn asked, pressing a little.

"I take requests and I deal with them. It's often about unusual problems that can't be solved normally. It's nothing illegal or anything like that. I'm sorry Reborn, but unless you believe me, believe what I said earlier about Kyoko-chan's illness, I can't tell you more."

"You will tell me, sooner or later." The hitman warned him, pulling down his fedora.

Tsuna stayed silent. If possible, he would like Reborn to stop being so curious and simply stuck to being professional and taught him what needed to be learned. The longer they would be together, the longer Tsuna was exposing the infant to danger. Even if he didn't want to tell anything to his tutor, unpredictable events could decide for him.

Back home, the brunet put away the groceries before suffering a hellish lesson of science, mixed with dynamite and shots. Tsuna was relieved when time to prepare dinner came. As yesterday night, Nana came back home and took a shower. They were in the middle of their dinner when the phone rang. They all paused, waiting for Nana who had gone to answer. However, she reappeared soon enough, holding the receiver.

"Tsu-kun? It's for you, another job."

His expression showed a mix of reluctance and resignation. He stood up, joining his mother and grabbing the phone.

"I'm listening."

Nana stayed close to her son, attentive. Reborn had stayed where he was since he knew that he would disturb his student if he was too close and well, he heard quite clearly where he was. The discussion was short and strictly professional without a hint of warmth even if both speakers knew each other. Tsuna put back the phone at its place and sighed. Getting back in the kitchen with his mother, they sat down and resumed their meal. When the dishes were in the sink, Nana washing them, the teen turned to Reborn, passing a nervous hand in his hair.

"I have a request for my job." He spoke in short sentences, knowing that his stutter would come back full force otherwise. "You probably won't like it."

"Spit it out already." Reborn ordered, impatient.

"I need to go to Italy. In two days."

* * *

 **A/N**

There! Another chapter! With an abrupt ending, not really a cliffhanger, right? I hope I don't make too many mistakes. Also, I should go to sleep soon.

 **Akuryô/Akuryou** : Evil spirit, malicious spirit, and so on. In case I wasn't clear enough.

About the reviews:

 **AkabaneKazama** **:** Violence (including bullying if I decide to include/describe it) comes from both sides. He's basically hunted down by yôkai so sometimes, Tsuna has it hard. For now, there is only really faint allusion to anything that could have been ugly. It will appear at some point to reveal some information, mostly about relationships between characters. Don't know if it really answers your question(s) (hope it does) but I don't want to reveal too much.

If I made any mistake, or if you have questions, or anything really, don't hesitate to review!  
Thanks again for reading!

See you next chapter~


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

 **Warnings:** AU (sort of)/ Unbeta'ed

 **Rating:** T (for language and violence that will appear later)

 **A/N:** Thank you all for the reviews, follows/fav!

Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

" _I have a request for my job." He spoke in short sentences, knowing that his stutter would come back full force. "You probably won't like it."_

" _Spit it out already." Reborn ordered, impatient._

" _I need to go to Italy. In two days."_

/

Reborn stared blankly at him, seemingly calm when all he wanted was to tie both the kid and his mother to their chairs, forced them to tell him everything and kept them put to avoid them looking for troubles. Of all places, why would it have to be Italy? That was Mafia's home! That was _Enrico's and Vongola's_ home! Well, the HQ was situated in Sicily but details. Vongola's influence easily included all Italy. Tsuna was practically offering himself on a silver plate, with a ribbon on his head and a neon sign over it claiming "Hidden Vongola heir here". Reborn would be damned to let him go. Sure, the brat was secretive and get on his nerves –like the majority of mankind- but the hitman had a job to do. He was known to never fail his missions. He wouldn't let it happen anytime soon.

"No." He finally refused, his voice cold. He could see Nana suppressing a shiver. "Have you forgotten the reason of my arrival, Dame-Tsuna? You have enemies in the Italian Mafia who want you _dead_."

"I know." Tsuna assured him, backing away slightly, feeling his tutor's anger irradiating from him. "But I h-have to go." He mentally cringed, hearing his stutter. That wouldn't help him. "My job-"

"-Is not worth getting yourself killed." Reborn finished, glaring. He ignored how Nana stilled unnaturally in front of the sink. "You're not ready to face them, Dame-Tsuna. You have zero fighting ability, zero escaping ability and zero common sense. As soon as you put your feet on the Italian ground, they'll know and they'll react. Fast. You're asking to be killed by going there."

"It s-sounds as if the w-whole Mafia's out f-for my blood." The teen frowned, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Might as well be the case." The hitman retorted harshly, thinking about Enrico's relations to others Families, none were small and none were honorable, rather big and extremely vicious. "I don't care about your job. You won't go."

"That's too bad because I care." Tsuna snapped without raising his voice, though. "I've been helping them for years now and I won't let some sad humans stop me. I'll go with or without you."

Reborn clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his temper under control. He wanted to bind the brat and beat some sense into his thick skull. Maybe he should just do that. It appeared more and more appealing as the idea settled in his mind.

"Do you really think you can oppose me?" He asked darkly, Leon shifting into a gun in his hand. "Do I have to remind you of who I am?"

Tsuna paled, stilling in his chair. Nana turned to them, her eyes travelling between them, one of her hands wondering towards a bracelet.

"No." The brunet answered, licking his lips nervously. "I r-remember c-clearly." He didn't need to see the gun to know it was there.

"Then," Reborn continued evenly, "how exactly will you go if I bind you to your chair right now, hmm?"

"I-I have g-great friends." Tsuna briefly wondered if he was digging his own grave. He didn't know how he could still be arguing with the hitman when he was completely terrified of him. He barely noticed how the bakeneko suddenly rushed towards him, jumping on the table to face the infant. It was quite useless since the tiny human couldn't see them, though, that wouldn't prevent them to act if Tsuna needed them.

"You're sure that your friends will be able to confront me?" Reborn asked with a quirked eyebrow, unimpressed and pissed off. These _great friends_ again. He had suspected the Hibaris since they had –and continued to- help Nana and her son. Was he wrong? Or did they have another helper?

"Yes." The brunet managed to answer without stuttering, thinking about Kage-chan, Kiyome or even Kogane. They could easily take him to the other side, the ayakashi's world without any problem, and the infant wouldn't be able to follow.

Reborn paused at the kid's answer. Who was stupid enough to go against a hitman? And for Tsuna to be sure of their success, these friends of his had to be really skilled. He narrowed his eyes. Apparently, his student knew some unconventional people too. First, his _apothecary_ who was more like a doctor had created a powder that healed sprains in a matter of _days_ instead of _months_. Hell, it was more like he invented new plants for the analysis couldn't determine what had been used into its composition, apart from the fact that it was vegetal. Second, Nana and Tsuna maintained good relations with the _Hibaris_ –Hibari Kyôya was a good example of how peculiar they were. And now, others _friends_ of them were able to kidnap someone under the nose of the World's Greatest Hitman? Highly unlikely. If only Tsuna wasn't so easy to read, Reborn would have stated that he was lying but he wasn't. He genuinely believed in them. Either it was true or if he was simply overestimating them was still to be decided.

Tsuna was growing sickly nervous in the silence. He pondered if he should _look_ before deciding against it. He didn't need his eyes to know that his tutor was frustrated and angry, but also thoughtful. It put the brunet on edge, who couldn't determine if it meant bad news for him or not. He unconsciously shifted towards his mother, trying to get comfort from both her presence and her flames. He then noticed how tense she was, hesitating to act. He took a deep breath and gathered his courage.

"Reborn." He called softly, shrinking a bit when he gained the hitman's attention back on him. "I have re-received a request. I-it is my responsibility to com-complete it."

"What does it consist of?" Reborn asked, keeping both his face and his voice neutral, aware that he had frightened both Nana and her son.

"I don't know."

"You don't know." He repeated flatly.

"I-I mean, I w-won't be alone for this re-request, more l-like mi-mission." Tsuna hastily corrected himself. "I will m-meet my co-workers t-there and g-get all the n-needed information w-with them."

"Co-workers?" Reborn narrowed his eyes, once again.

"So-sometimes, depending on w-who call out to me, I-I have to w-work within a t-team." The brunet explained, falling to calm himself. "B-but usually, I'm a-alone."

"Where and when?" The hitman asked, not bothering to clarify.

"Popoli a little b-bit before n-noon, in two d-days." His student answered, silently thankful to the Kami for avoiding him stuttering on the town's name.

Reborn had never heard of it before. It was probably a small town, thankfully not near the Sicily. It was either in the north or in the centre of the country. He would have to check later. He inwardly sighed, realizing that he would be forced to accompany his student if he wanted to keep him alive. If the infant was lucky, he would even managed to discover some of Tsuna's secrets and take a twisted pleasure in killing whatever assassin sent to them.

"What about the traveling fees?" He went on, letting Leon returning back into his original form.

Tsuna froze. Usually, he would ask Kage-chan to guide him through the Path in Between since she always came with him. Only yôkai and Gifted could walked on the Path for it didn't belong to the human realm, and was closer to the ayakashi's one. Time and space were distorted, completely different from the others worlds, unique to this weird place. It was useful in order to cross far distances in a very reasonable span of time, but equally dangerous as lots of creatures roamed. Nana took it daily as a short-cut, accompanied by Kogane. She didn't have any car and she didn't travel by public transports. She simply walked and arrived on time, even though she barely took half an hour instead of several hours –in the human realm scale, since time was relative in the Path. And Tsuna had already taken it for precedent jobs before, shortening considerably his time passed on traveling and saving money. However, with Reborn accompanying him –because he wouldn't let the teen go otherwise-, he couldn't do as usual.

Then a thought struck him. He had only one day to find plane tickets with a low budget. There was no way he was going to find even one. If he couldn't travel by plane, then he would be forced to take the Path. Once the Conciliator accepted a request, he didn't come back on his word. The idea of Reborn coming with him made his head spin though. Apart from the fact that the hitman would know, Tsuna had never taken a Sightless to the Path. In fact, he silently wondered if they could even take it.

Either way, it didn't change the fact that he was stuck. Stuck with Reborn. Stuck with walking on the Path to go to Italy. He didn't want to think further on the subject, feeling tired suddenly.

"I'll figure it out." He sighed, answering the infant's question. Suddenly wanting to escape his tutor's gaze, he stood up. "Shower." He mumbled before leaving the kitchen.

The cats followed him in silence, unwilling to stay with the hitman. Nana eyed Reborn thoughtfully, slowly relaxing. She knew that Tsuna wanted to keep him in the dark since he was Sightless and would leave as soon as his job was completed. But, it was obvious that the infant was going to stay with them for quite a long time and sooner than later, he would witness something linked to the yôkai. Time was ticking and it wouldn't be long before Reborn discovered the truth.

Later, when Reborn came out from the bathroom –yes, even the World's Greatest Hitman took a shower, though he preferred baths with a glass of exquisite wine-, he paused before entering into Tsuna's bedroom, hearing him talking without stuttering.

"I don't like your options." The brunet stated, slightly panicked. "Reborn is _so_ going to kill me if we do that."

"You don't have a lot of choices, cub." The voice, female, sounded like a purr. "You wish to leave the tiny human in the dark, after all."

Reborn wondered who it was, and how she came. After all, he didn't notice an extra presence entering the house, and the doors –in the front and in the back- didn't open. The teen was comfortable enough with her to speak with familiarity and without stuttering. He missed Tsuna's answer but heard clearly her chuckle.

"You're trying to protect him even though you don't trust him."

"What's wrong with that?" Tsuna asked, a little bit offended by her tone. "He's not part of our world. Of course, I will try to-"

"You're so naïve, cub." She interrupted her, affection obvious in her voice. "That's one of your good points. As long as you think it is the right thing to do, you'll protect anyone, from a member of your family to a complete stranger."

Reborn could only imagine the teen blushing, judging by the silence that followed. He was torn between amusement and annoyance when he heard that this scrawny kid was thinking of protecting him. He didn't need it. He wasn't the World's Greatest Hitman for the beauty of his eyes.

"However, you need to wake up, Tsuna." She continued, her purr getting a low tone. "Ever since he put a paw in the house, he became involved."

"Don't tell me-" The brunet tensed.

"News travel fast." She cut him, and Reborn could practically see her shrugging her shoulders. "I didn't say anything of course, neither had the cats."

"Then, how did…?"

"You're quite hard to miss, cub." She reminded him, sounding amused. "With your position, everyone of us watch you more or less closely. We know what happened around and to you."

"Great." He groaned. "Now I have stalkers, on top of assassins."

She laughed. "Rest assured, at least half of them are strays you brought back home at one point. _You_ are the one who turned them this way."

"How is it my fault?" He whined, and knowing the teen, he was surely pouting, unable to glare correctly.

"Tsuna." She called him, interrupting his complain. "If you really wish to protect the human, you'll need to tell him."

"No." He immediately hissed. "Reborn has no mean to defend himself against them."

"Do you think that keeping him in the dark is wise?" She insisted, her mirth gone. "If he's attacked, he wouldn't be able to fight because he would have no clue about his enemy. His ignorance will cause his doom."

"If he knows, it will be worse." Tsuna objected, stressed. "You know how they react when they face a human who suddenly Sees."

"The situation is already different. By being with you, he's already endangered, Sightless or not." She pointed out. "You won't be able to protect him at all times, and by keeping him ignorant, you prevent him to find any way to defend himself. If this continues, you will be his downfall." She didn't wait for his reaction and carried on. "You only have two choices: either you tell him or you persuade him to disappear from your lives forever."

"I'm terrified of the consequences." He confessed in a whisper, forcing Reborn to approach the door to hear him. "I'm afraid of what he could do with this knowledge. It's not only me, it involves Mom too."

"No matter how strong he is, he's nothing against me." She snorted, confident. Her purr turned into a low hiss. "I'll gladly rip his throat apart if he even _thinks_ about betraying you." She softened then, even though her bloodlust didn't vanish. "You're not alone, cub. Remember, you have _great friends_."

"Now you're just mocking me." He replied, a smile in his voice. "I'm amazed I'm still alive, especially after saying that."

She laughed once again. Reborn decided that it was a good time to barge in. He kicked open the door, startling Tsuna who began to inwardly panic for not noticing the hitman earlier, absorbed by both his distress and the discussion. The infant paused, looking at the brunet who was settled on his bed, petting Kage-chan. There was no one else. With a quick glance at the window, he noticed it open but not enough to allow someone to jump in a split of second. Frustrated, he turned towards the teen and Leon turning into a gun, he shot.

"Hiie!" Tsuna shrieked, ducking when he heard the bullet hissing. "What was that for?!" He exclaimed, shocked.

"You stuttered." Was the flat answer coming from his sadistic tutor.

The teen remembered his earlier warning and paled. Not wishing to deal with the terrifying infant, he hid under the covers, taking Kage-chan with him who graciously allowed him to do so. Reborn went to his hammock, deciding to reflect on the conversation he eavesdropped. He gave his student a last chance before he would forcefully get his answers.

Tsuna woke up at five the next morning, an odd feeling disturbing his sleep. He was half awake, wondering about it when a bucket of icy water was thrown in his face. He shrieked and immediately shook, cold. Kage-chan had thankfully gotten out of the way when Reborn had moved and was currently silently snickering.

"Get dressed." The hitman ordered, eyeing him as he stood, shivering like a leaf. "We're late in the training, and you have at least a hundred laps around the town to catch up."

Before putting on his sport clothes, he took a towel to dry up and warm up a little. He met his mother who was still in the house since it was yet too early for her to leave and went outside, sensing her surprise fading behind him.

/

Tsuna skipped the preparation of his lunch to put an offering on the shrine, take a shower, grab his stuff and leave hurriedly the house. Even though he was –kind of- friends with Kyôya, he was still bitten to death when he was late. His extreme laps –yes, Onii-san had joined him at one point- were enough to assure him horrible ashes later, and he didn't want to add bruises. He was also starving since he didn't eat breakfast but it was okay. It wasn't the first time it had happened and wouldn't be the last either. Crossing the gates, he nodded at Tetsuya-san and entered into his classroom. Nishioka was there, informing him that his desk had been thrown out of the window. Tsuna's shoulders slumped at that and directly went to the Disciplinary Committee, looking for Kyôya. He was going to be late for class anyway since he would take too long to get another table from someone in the administration. It was quicker and safer to directly go to Kyôya to explain the situation, get another desk and a note for him and return to class. Respecting the rules while going straight to the point was the better way to avoid irritating the prefect.

It took Tsuna less than ten minutes to gather what he needed, returned to the class and apologized for his lateness and handed over Kyôya's note. The teacher scolded him but didn't punish him, willing to avoid the Skylark's wrath. The brunet didn't exchange a word with his classmates, though he frowned when he noticed Yamamoto was getting worse as days passed. Tsuna wasn't exactly his friend so he didn't know how to help him, plus he had already been rejected when he had tried before. With a sigh, he focused on the lessons.

At lunch, Tsuna was surprised when he heard Kyôko speaking to him, even more so when she actually invited him to eat with both Kurokawa Hana and her. Her friend was known to see every boy as monkey and avoided them. She was also very protective of Kyôko and with her sharp mind and equally sharp tongue, she had discouraged a lot of boys who wanted to ask Kyôko out. Facing her was more than a little intimidating. Remembering Reborn's threats if he stuttered, he took a few deep breaths.

"I would like to, Kyôko-chan, but I forgot to bring my bentô today." He answered slowly, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

Her expression brightened up immediately and she took out another one, pushing it into his hands since he couldn't see it. "It's perfect, Tsuna-kun! I have prepared one for you and I hoped that you would eat it."

"Y-you made one?" He mentally winced at his stutter but he had been taken aback. "Why?" He was genuinely curious. It was the first time anyone had ever done that, except his mother but well, it was _his mother_.

She looked a little confused at that. "It's to thank you. After all, you're the one who healed me, right? Besides, we're friends, Tsuna-kun."

He blushed brightly, clearly embarrassed. Hana smirked at his reaction. Of course, she had known what the brunet had done and while she was thankful, she had to make sure he didn't do it with hidden purposes. Seeing him reacting like this, she figured he had simply acted because of his kindness. For that, she could indulge him and try to not treat him like the others monkeys.

"Just accept it, Sawada." She intervened as both girls settled near him and grabbed their own boxes.

Tsuna thanked them shyly. It was one of the most cheerful lunches he had ever spent within the school. Nishioka even popped up during the break to simply hang with him, smiling at seeing him with friends.

Of course, Tsuna should know that Lady Luck wasn't a big fan of him, and things would get unwanted consequences.

The ringing bell announced the end of classes, causing the students to chatter, grabbing their stuff, half-listening to their teacher shouting their homework. None was really concerned, too excited to finally be on week-end. For once, Tsuna wasn't alone when going home. Reaching the gates, the brunet suddenly tensed. It wasn't about Reborn who was quickly approaching them. Rather, it was the angry and determined aura coming from a boy near them, waiting. Kyôko slowed down when she noticed him, and her uneasiness was clearly visible. Hana stuck close to her, scowling.

"Kyôko, I'm relieved to see you in school." The boy smiled charmingly –or at least, attempted to. Judging by Hana's grimace, it failed greatly. "We miss your bright presence, you know?"

"Well, she certainly did not miss you, monkey." She immediately retorted while Tsuna, a little bit behind the girls, recognized the voice as Mochida Kensuke's, an upperclassmen who was also the kendo captain.

"I'm not talking to you, Kurokawa." He growled with annoyance. "Back off."

"No, you, back off." She snarled, glaring at him. "Take a hint, monkey. Kyôko's not interested."

"Shut up. I don't want to hear anything from a stuck up girl like you."

"At least, I'm not a pathetic and despaired monkey like you. I know when to stop trying to get the impossible and to avoid looking like a brainless fool."

Tsuna grew more and more nervous as both Hana and Mochida argued back and forth, more and more violently. Kyôko wasn't better, looking worriedly at both of them. Honestly, she was tired of Mochida's insistence but she didn't know how to say it clearly. The captain wasn't known for his delicacy after all, and he intimidated her. She didn't know how to ask him to stop without angering him. However, with both Hana and Mochida's tempers flaring, she started to seriously worry for her friend. It wasn't the first time they confronted but this time, it was worse. When Tsuna felt the tension skyrocket and Kyôko flinch away from the captain while Hana stand stoically, determined to act as a wall, he decided to intervene.

Usually, he would have run away as fast as he could when meeting such a situation. Usually, he was alone against his bullies, knowing that if he wasn't quick enough on his feet, he would get beat up. Usually, he only wished to protect his mother, Kage-chan and the bakeneko against other ayakashi, knowing that he was able to at least, forced them to retreat thanks to his spiritual power. Usually, he didn't have any human friends to protect –especially from another human. It was a new situation for him, and despite being so nervous he was slightly shaking, he knew he couldn't ignore it. True, he had no fighting skill and would probably end unconscious and in the hospital but _damn_ , he had faced worse yôkai than Mochida and he had survived. Besides, he was counting on Reborn who was nearby to at least help the girls if things went really too far.

With this thought in mind, he took a deep breath and gently pushed Kyôko aside and stood in front of Hana. He opened his eyes and focused solely on Mochida. He missed their shocked expressions at seeing his sunset orbs as they seemed to almost burn in their sheer intensity.

"Dame-Tsuna?" Mochida was surprised, he didn't notice him being with the girls. He then narrowed his eyes into a glare.

"Sempai, you're scaring Kyôko-chan." Tsuna was impressed by how clear he was speaking, despite being so afraid.

The captain glanced at her, noting her expression of discomfort and the total lack of smile. He reported his attention on the brunet, refusing to acknowledge anything more.

"So after the annoying bitch, it's the turn of our favorite useless student?" He snorted, crossing his arms. "What are you going to say now?"

"You shouldn't call Kurokawa-san like that, Mochida-sempai. It's not true and she doesn't deserve it." Tsuna frowned, completely ignoring the insult thrown at him, used to it.

"You're here to lecture me, Dame-Tsuna? You're really the last person who should do that." He snorted and carried on, a thought striking him. "Aren't you Tsuna the Liar? You used to say quite a lot of things, back then. Something about monsters." He leaned in then, towering over the brunet. He stared straight into orange sunset pools, observing them. "I would say that you're a bigger liar than everyone thinks. Tell me, Dame-Tsuna, are you really blind?"

Tsuna tensed and desperately tried to block any memory this question brought back. He bit the inside of his left cheek, harshly, painfully, to distract him. Even the taste of his blood wasn't enough. He suddenly sensed someone moving behind him, and without thinking, he got out of the way. Hearing a hiss in the air followed by a cry of pain, he turned his head towards the girls, stunned. Kurokawa grinned widely, retracting her leg, watching with satisfaction as Mochida clenched one hand on his groin and another on his broken nose, courtesy of Kyôko's punch. She had, after all, a big brother who boxed and had learned quite a few things to defend herself, though she rarely fought.

"I've been patiently and politely declining every one of your proposition, Mochida-sempai." She frowned then, sounding disappointed and rather angry. "When I fell into coma, I was almost glad for I wouldn't have to see you. I've never been able to tell you how I really feel because I was afraid of you. But hearing you insulting Hana, my best friend, and Tsuna-kun, who saved my life, I decided to act."

Mochida watched her with wide eyes, trying to stop his nosebleed. He couldn't believe it. He had no idea that Kyôko could be angry, much less aggressive.

"You've hurt my friends, Mochida-sempai. For that, I'll never forgive you." She then gave the final blow. "Next time you approach my friends, Onii-san or me, I'll fill a plaint against you and I will hand it to Hibari-san."

Mochida turned livid, terrified of what the prefect would do to him. He reluctantly nodded, letting the girls drag a still stunned Tsuna away, followed by a very amused Reborn. Kyôko burst suddenly into nervous giggles at the corner of the street, relief taking over. The brunet, who had closed his eyes since they had left, turned worriedly to her.

"Are you okay, Kyôko-chan?" He asked slowly, still watchful of his stutter.

"She's fine, Sawada." Hana replied, still smiling with great satisfaction. "She's just really glad to be finally freed from the brainless monkey."

"Oh." He then looked a little bit nervous and apologetic. "I'm sorry for before. I really did something useless again, didn't I?" He sighed, passing a tired hand on his face. He really had the impression that he had worsened the situation by intervening.

Kyôko suddenly stopped and grabbed Tsuna's arm. "You're not useless, Tsuna-kun." She stated seriously. "Seeing you who is usually really shy standing up for us, makes me realize that I should gather my courage and try to resolve my problems." She insisted and then continued, softening a little. "If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have been able to speak my mind, Tsuna-kun." She then freed him, smiling sweetly, probably aware of how his throat had seemingly closed up, overwhelmed by various emotions.

"That's right, Sawada." Hana added. "You're neither a Dame nor a monkey."

"And we'll remind you every time you need it." Kyôko concluded.

Tsuna smiled brightly and for once, was glad to have his burning eyes closed, hiding his tears. "Thank you." He breathed out, his voice a little bit chocked. "Really, thank you."

/

On his way home, after waving goodbye to the girls, Tsuna hummed in acknowledgment as Reborn joined him on his walk. His good mood didn't waver once.

"So, everything's ready for your job?" The hitman asked, killing effectively the mood.

"Yes." Tsuna sighed. He had made up his mind, recognizing how right Kage-chan was. He didn't know yet if he was doing the right thing, though. "We're leaving tonight after dinner."

"How will we go?"

"I took care of everything, Reborn." The brunet answered. "You simply need to stay with me."

The infant narrowed his eyes, not liking to be kept in the dark. Reaching the house, Tsuna shouted his usual greeting before getting upstairs to prepare his stuff. He packed enough for a few days since he didn't know how long they would be gone, using a backpack. When he finished, Reborn insisted him to get some of his homework done. The teen didn't protest, trying to get his tutor in the best mood possible. When it was time to cook, he went downstairs to prepare dinner, leaving Reborn who prepared his stuff. As usual, Nana came home and took a shower before heading to the kitchen, joining them to eat. At his mother's insistence, he washed himself before returning in the hall, putting his shoes on. Reborn was already ready, waiting for him. The brunet finally turned to his mom, hugging her.

"I'm going." He smiled to reassure her.

"Be careful, Tsu-kun and come back soon."

"I will." He promised.

Tsuna opened the door, waved one last time at both his mother and the bakeneko and turned towards the gates. There, Kage-chan was waiting for them and lazily stretched when they reached her. Tsuna petted her with a little smile. She waited a bit before going her own way.

Reborn walked beside the teen in silence. He figured Tsuna was heading towards the train station to reach the nearest international airport which was in Tôkyô. He had already reserved a plane ticket for Rome, knowing that the brunet didn't have enough money to pay for both of them. Well, it was already surprising for the teen to have a ticket. He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Tsuna stopping in front of a traditional door.

"Why are we here, Tsuna?" Reborn asked, quirking an eyebrow.

The brunet stood nervously, ruffling his hair. How on earth could he explain that they were going to take the Path in Between? Scratch that. How on earth was he going to tell Reborn about yôkai? He took a deep breath and faced his tutor, turning his back to the door. Before he managed to say anything, a bell chimed behind him, followed by a sudden gust of wind. He let out a surprised yelp as something yanked him inside. Reborn quickly moved, trying to grab his student. Turning Leon into a whip, he missed Tsuna's hand by an inch and saw the door shutting in front of him. He immediately opened it violently to see a startled shopkeeper who watched him with surprised and offended eyes. No traces of Tsuna. Reborn cursed and immediately began his search.

"Carnivore."

Reborn glanced at Kyôya, pausing in his steps. The prefect was staring at the infant, a little bit surprised to see him so unnerved. He quietly huffed. Carnivores shouldn't get agitated. However, since he witnessed the whole scene earlier, he decided to enlighten the hitman. Namimori was Kyôya's territory and he protected it since his childhood. He knew that Reborn could cause havoc in his irritation, and the prefect would like to avoid it. Even though his blood was boiling in excitement at the idea of fighting the infant, he refrained himself. The small animal attracted trouble as surely as sun rises in the east. He needed protection, whatever the form. So, for once, Kyôya would give a piece of advice.

"The small animal is where he has to be."

He then left, letting his fellow carnivore draw his own conclusion.

/

Tsuna stood frozen for a few moments, sensing that he had left the human realm for the Path in Between. Beside him, Kage-chan was laughing hard.

"His expression was priceless." She grinned. "He had been completely caught off-guard."

"I'm _so_ dead." Tsuna whispered, quickly paling as he understood what had happened.

The nekomata had been waiting for them to show up in front of the entrance, and had grabbed him as soon as the opportunity appeared. He turned to her sharply.

"Why did you do that, Kage-chan?" He asked, still stunned. "I thought you wanted me to tell him."

She suppressed her snickers and huffed. "Be thankful, cub. I wanted to be generous today and give you some time before you made your decision."

"Thank you, I guess." Tsuna replied, a little bit bewildered. "That doesn't change the fact that he'll kill me as soon as he sees me."

"Relax, cub." She sighed and stretched to put her paws on his leg. Taking the hint, he picked her in his arms. "He can't follow you here and unlike you, he has to take a plane and a train to reach Popoli. If everything goes smoothly, you won't even see your tiny tutor."

Tsuna gave her a disbelief smile. "With my luck? I doubt it."

She snorted. "Don't think too much about it. Instead, you should start reviewing your Italian, cub. I'll help."

/

Night had since long fallen when a delicate chime resonated in the street. A door opened, and a fluffy head popped up with a black cat which blended easily with the surrounding darkness. They stepped out, letting the door close and vanish. A tall figure approached them quietly, and bowed.

"Suzume-dono." It said in an emotionless voice. "Master Iacopo is waiting for you. Please follow me."

They quickly recognized a shiki made of paper, sent to guide them. Tsuna obediently followed, Kage-chan comfortably settled in the brunet's arms.

"I hope it's an important matter." She huffed, opening one eye to lazily look around and choosing to speak in Italian, hinting at her cub to imitate her. "You may be the only Conciliator out there, you're not going to come each time they had trouble with one of us."

"Well, consider it as an occasion to tour a bit." Tsuna replied with a smile.

"I've already been to Italy, cub." She reminded him. She lifted up her head to glance around, not at all bothered by the lack of light. "It has been certainly a while, though. I would say a hundred years at least."

"Things changed. Aren't you curious to discover the evolution?"

"No, not really." She answered, glancing at the brunet. "I'm the kind to be interested in a singular human rather than an entire society."

Tsuna's chuckled was abruptly cut off as he tripped over a step, leaving the sidewalk and stumbled on the road. Right. He needed to be careful. He wasn't in Namimori so he didn't know this town.

"I'll guide you, cub." Kage-chan announced, turning her eyes ahead. "I don't want you to drop me or worse."

"That will help me, thanks." The teen sighed in relief, hastily catching up with the shiki which had stopped to wait for them.

Tsuna didn't know how long they walked, steadily going towards one of the entries of the town. He stifled another yawn, tired. His lambs were getting a bit numb from the exercise. Taking the Path in Between was exhausting the longer he used it, as he was always tensed and ready for any danger. This walk to the hotel where Iacopo was staying, was steadily wearing off his patience.

"Next time, the human should send a shiki _and_ a car." The nekomata commented dryly.

They finally reached the hotel, the shiki opening the door for them. No one was in the hall to greet them, thankfully. Tsuna wouldn't have to explain his presence. His steps slowed down when he noticed the shiki had stopped. The sound of an elevator alerted him of its arrival. They entered in it and reached the last floor. The shiki led them to a door before sliding under it. After a minute, steps approached, making Tsuna unconsciously straighten up. A man opened and paused briefly when he noticed how young his supposed helper was.

"Mr. Tôshi wasn't lying when he said Mr. Suzume was very young." Iacopo said in lieu of greeting.

"G-good evening, Mr. Iacopo. It is nice to meet you." Tsuna replied politely and bowed, cringing at his stutter, remembering Reborn's threat. "Y-your shiki informed me that you wished to see me."

"Ah, it wasn't mine. Mr. Tôshi lent it to me." The Italian rectified, stifling a yawn. "Well, I was expecting you earlier in fact. I took the liberty to book a room for you as well, Mr. Suzume, when night had fallen. It seemed I was right to do so." He glanced at the cat in his arms, raising an eyebrow but didn't comment. "We'll talk later in the morning, before going to meet my colleagues. I think we both need to sleep."

"Alright, Mr. Iacopo." Tsuna agreed stiffly.

"Your room is the last door in the corridor." Iacopo informed him and he turned around to take a key, handing it over to the burnet. "I wish you a good night." He smiled tiredly and quietly closed his door.

Tsuna sighed and turned his heels, letting Kage-chan guide him once again. Using his key, he locked behind him before dropping his backpack on the ground and falling fully-dressed on the bed, instantly falling asleep. The nekomata settled beside him, leaning against him.

/

A very irritated hitman was silently seething in a high-class section in the plane heading to Rome. His dark aura frightened everyone around him, and no one dared to approach him. Reborn looked out, trying to keep his temperament in control. He couldn't let his impatience and anger get the better of him. Just a few more hours and he would soon be able to punish accordingly his infuriating student.

/

Tsuna struggled weakly to breathe, still asleep. A heavy burden was settled on his chest, blocking his lungs. He frowned in discomfort and started to pant, searching for air. Snapping awake, he stretched his arms to push the choking weight. He stopped when his hands sunk into a warm fur.

"Kage-chan…" Tsuna whined in a mumble. "Get… off..."

"Finally awake, cub?" She asked in amusement, turning into her cat form, considerably lightening her weight. "If you don't hurry, you won't be able to wash and eat before meeting with the human."

He sluggishly got up, stumbling towards the adjoining bathroom. He accidentally opened the cold water, successfully waking up with a shriek. After a quick shower, he changed his clothes to a jean and a sweat. He was standing in his room, wondering if he should go downstairs to grab something to eat or knock to Iacopo's door, when he heard someone approaching. Unlocking, he opened quickly, halting Iacopo in his movement.

"Good morning, Mr. Suzume." He greeted, his surprise disappearing. "I know it is quite early, but I receive troublesome news. The meeting is postponed for now."

"W-what happened?" Tsuna asked, frowning.

"I will inform you later." The Italian replied with a glance at his watch. "I need to meet someone before coming back here. If everything goes well, the meeting will be held at eight in the evening." A thought struck him suddenly. "Mr. Tôshi had covered your needs. I'll see you later."

With that, he walked away hurriedly, checking again his watch. Tsuna stood for a little bit, unsure. Kage-chan got out of the room, brushing against his jean.

"I'm hungry, cub."

The brunet smiled and locked the door before following her.

They spent the day in town, basically acting as tourists. Kage-chan described him the houses, streets and people they met, comparing with her own memories. He tripped more than once and even managed to fall into the _Piazza della Libertà_ 's fountain, making the nekomata burst into laughter. Two old ladies witnessed the scene and immediately proposed their help, insisting when they noticed that he was blind and alone with a cat. Overwhelmed, he suddenly found himself sitting at a long table, participating to a lunch between two families who were old friends. Kage-chan was settled on his knees, purring, knowing she would get spoiled and enjoying the cheerful chatters. Many laughed when they heard how the ladies and Tsuna met, teasing him good-naturedly. Soon, the brunet felt his awkwardness disappear, grinning along. He didn't talk much, afraid that his stutter would annoy them, and spoke as simply as possible when he couldn't avoid it. When he moved to help with the dishes, feeling that he had to repay them somehow, for both the burrowed clothes while his dried and the food, the others pushed him towards the curious children.

Kage-chan observed with amusement as Tsuna was pulled into their games. He was clearly enjoying himself when one of the little girls named Agnella screamed suddenly. Tsuna and the other kids froze in their activities, turning to her. When they saw what had scared Agnella, they dispersed immediately, some returning towards their parents while others –including Agnella- hid behind the brunet. Confused, Tsuna crouched down and tilted his head. He had briefly opened his eyes but none of his senses had found a threat.

"Agnella," he whispered softly while his arms circled around the two other children with him in an attempt to comfort them, "what happened?"

"There…there was a snake." She replied, letting tears roll down her cheeks. "I-I thought that I was going to die."

At this, more tears fell, betraying their fear. Perplexed, Tsuna started to gently shush them. Sensing a presence approaching, he turned away slightly from them.

"It's alright, _mia cara_." Agnella's grandmother whispered while taking her in her arms, letting the brunet dealt with the two others. "The snake is gone."

"I thought it was _il Malefic_ o." She hiccupped, burying her face in the adult's chest.

"No, it wasn't him." Her grandmother assured them, noting how quickly the children in the brunet's embrace had calmed down, rocked by his steady heartbeat and his warmth. She smiled softly to herself, knowing that she had been right to help this unusual child, obviously kind-hearted.

She waited until the children went back to their respective parents, asking for dessert, to turn to the curious and confused brunet.

"It is not a right time to be in Popoli, little Suzume." She sighed, standing. "People had been found dead in the forest, and on the road outside the town."

"Dead?" Tsuna repeated, offering his shoulder to help her without even thinking.

She accepted it with a smile, feeling tired. "No one knows who killed them. All that we have is the testimony of a witness who said he saw a giant snake glaring at one of the victims, causing him to instantly die." She shrugged helplessly. "Children heard it and now, they are terrified each time they saw a snake."

The brunet hummed thoughtfully, indicating that he had heard. He wondered if this snake was the reason of his job in Popoli. It was highly probable.

"I'm sure they will be fine." He finally replied. "Children are stronger than we believe. Besides, I'm sure the attacks will stop soon."

"I wish you're right, little Suzume."

Tsuna smiled reassuringly at her, leading her back to her relatives and friends. He stayed all afternoon with them and could only leave them with the promise of meeting them again. Getting back to the hotel in a hurry, he lied down on the bed, hoping to catch some sleep before eight. A knock on his door woke him up exactly ten minutes before.

"Coming!" He shouted, getting off the bed and opening the door hurriedly.

"Suzume-dono."

He froze at the voice and barely heard the hiss coming from Kage-chan behind him. He bowed then politely.

"Tô-tôshi-san." Tsuna greeted nervously, ruffling his already messy hair. "Th-thank you for the r-room."

"No need to thank me." Tôshi replied coldly. "I'm merely doing my job. Now, I need you to follow me. Everyone has already left."

"W-what?" The brunet exclaimed, startled. He grabbed his bag and went after the other man, hearing him go. "W-what about the m-meeting?"

Tôshi didn't answer him, picking up his pace. Tsuna forced himself to hurry, getting clumsier. As soon as he was out of the hotel, someone grabbed his arm and shoved him into a car. He didn't utter a word, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. Kage-chan huffed when she noticed the man had deliberately separated her from her cub. Her tails twitched in annoyance, finding his action futile. Transforming, she easily followed them.

The ride was short. As soon as they reached the forest, Tôshi yanked Tsuna outside. He gave him strict instructions, turning the teen towards a destination.

"Don't bring shame on the Suzume name." He warned Tsuna and got into the car, leaving him alone.

The brunet sighed, his shoulders slumping. He was used to such treatment from the exorcist. The clan didn't like him, it wasn't anything new. He silently wondered again. What did he do for deserving that? He had never done anything to them. Then again, perhaps it was the simple fact that he was born Suzume that earned him contempt and hostility.

"One day, I'll give him to an akuryô or an oni, and I'll watch him _suffer_." Kage-chan promised, sitting besides the brunet.

"No one deserves that, Kage-chan." Tsuna chided her, smiling softly at her, appreciating her attempt to cheer him up. He straightened then. "Let's go."

They walked slowly for several minutes, following the exorcist's indications. The forest was quiet, oddly quiet. It irked him, finding it unnatural. Tsuna suddenly tensed, sensing a dark and deadly presence approaching fast. He recognized it a few seconds before a shot rang and a voice spoke.

"You can't escape from me, Dame-Tsuna."

How the hell did he find him? Tsuna wondered as he reflexively ducked. He was in a forest!

"Leave." He hissed at Reborn, his nerves winning over his carefulness. It was no place for a Sightless to be.

"No." The hitman bluntly replied, jumping on the brunet's shoulders.

"Leave." His student repeated almost frantically. "Before it's…"

"Too late." Kage-chan intervened, signaling him someone was coming and knowing that Reborn couldn't hear her.

Tsuna felt like cursing. He huffed instead, straightening his form. "Reborn, call me Suzume if you need to speak to me. Also, stay with me if you wish to avoid unnecessary questions, unless I expressively tell you otherwise."

"I don't take orders from…"

Reborn's snappy retort was cut by the approaching steps of an Italian brown-haired man with blue eyes. He was wearing casual and comfortable clothes to allow him some liberty in his movements. He also carried a gun, still in his holster. The infant narrowed his eyes, wondering in what mess his student was.

"Mr. Suzume!" The man called out in relief. "I was afraid that something happened to you. This forest isn't safe." He paused when he noticed Reborn. "Why are you carrying an infant, Mr. Suzume?" He asked, puzzled.

"Renato's not an infant, Mr. Iacopo." Tsuna answered, thinking for a split of a second, settling for an alias for his tutor.

Exorcists sometimes held ties with the Mafia so he didn't want to risk letting anyone know he was linked to the dark world by introducing Reborn, the number one hitman. Reborn struggled to keep his face neutral. No one was supposed to know about his given name. He had abandoned it since the Fated Day, when he had realized he was stuck into being an infant until his death. He didn't need any reminder of his past life. 'Reborn' had been born then. He added another question for his student, wondering how on earth the brunet knew about it.

"A curse?" Said Iacopo guessed, nodding to himself, and began to walk. "What kind?"

Reborn's grip on Tsuna's hair tightened painfully. The teen suppressed a flinch, following the man.

"I don't know yet." He replied, sensing the hitman ready to murder someone, certainly him.

Now, that was too big of a coincidence. Reborn tilted his fedora down to hide his emotions. He sent a glare at the brunet, clearly expecting some answers later. Iacopo hummed in interest.

"You're still young, Mr. Suzume. Perhaps I can determine its kind with my years of experience…"

"If my cub can't help him, then none of you, humans, can." Kage-chan interrupted, her voice purring in contempt.

The Italian exorcist turned to her, recognizing the nekomata as the cat following Tsuna. "So you're his servant."

Tsuna frowned. "She's not my servant. She's my friend."

Iacopo eyed him incredulously. "Mr. Suzume, do you really think you can befriend the likes of them? Don't be naïve, kid. It will get you killed, or worse."

"Let's get down to business, human." Kage-chan intervened, preventing the brunet from answering. "I don't like you, you don't like me. The faster we deal with our problem, the quickest I'll be gone."

"Can't deny that." The Italian man muttered.

"We already know that it's a Basilisk who's been attacking the humans."

"How did you…?" His voice trailed off, surprised.

Kage-chan smirked. "Suzume knows how to listen."

"It has made its home in a cave not far from here." Iacopo began to tell, resolutely ignoring her. "When we approached it, it attacked my men, causing a lot of deaths." He pursed his lips tightly in anger.

Reborn watched the man carrying a one-sided discussion, sometimes glancing at nothing near Tsuna. He was answering unspoken questions, getting sometimes offended for apparently no reason. Unfazed, the brunet simply continued to follow him in silence, listening attentively. The hitman felt lost since the subject of the conversation escaped from his knowledge and he hated it.

"Don't you have a name?" Kage-chan asked, annoyed.

"No." Iacopo replied, earning him a weird glance from the infant. "Its only words were about it wanting to meet the Conciliator."

"That would be me." Tsuna quietly spoke up, his steps slowing down as he sensed a group of people nearby.

"Did the snake say anything else?" Kage-chan insisted. She didn't want Tsuna to meet a Basilisk, unprepared.

"It knows Mr. Suzume apparently, talking about a debt. It could be lying of course." Iacopo added, distrust clear in his voice.

"Midori isn't lying." The brunet stopped suddenly, getting an odd feeling. "She is indeed the only Basilisk I had ever met."

"And you're still alive?" The Italian exorcist looked and sounded stunned.

His exclamation gathered the attention of everyone who was present, glancing at them. Reborn counted six men, all armed. Their postures were interested, neither friendly nor hostile. Just in case, the infant reached for one of his real guns, preparing himself for anything. Suddenly, everyone tensed. There was a quiet sliding sound approaching, interrupting the conversation. Kage-chan sat besides Tsuna, offering her silent support. All men closed their eyes in one coordinated movement, surprising Reborn.

"Renato." Tsuna called out to the infant in a whisper. "Close your eyes."

"What?" Reborn raised an eyebrow, giving him a _look_.

"Whatever happens, whatever you hear, whatever you sense, _don't_ _open your eyes_. _Please_."

The desperate plea from his student convinced him to do so. Reborn was skilled enough to kill everyone around him in a few seconds without seeing them, since he remembered their positions. It was still uncomfortable to willingly suppress one of his senses. It went against everything he knew. He tensed when the gliding sound came closer. Judging by the noise, whatever was causing it was as long as a train and probably as big too. What on earth were they facing?

"Conciliator-dono, it has been a long time since we've met." A hissing voice whispered, making Reborn's skin creep at how dangerous it sounded. It was friendly thankfully.

"I'm glad to hear you again, Midori." Tsuna answered without any fear even though everyone else was struggling to stop shivering in terror. "I'm however sad to learn that you still haven't forgiven the humans."

The rustle settled, and Reborn knew the giant snake –weren't they talking about a fucking Basilisk earlier?- had stopped in front of the brunet.

"After what I had suffered from them, I will certainly never forgive them." She replied with hate dripping her voice. "They should be thankful I didn't kill more of them. I hate humans, after all. You, Conciliator-dono, are the exception."

There was an angry growl somewhere near, coming from Iacopo, who had fists hanging around his body.

"You're the only one whose eyes can withstand my gaze without succumbing." Midori carried on, completely ignoring him. Her hiss turned less menacing and more satisfied. "I love them, little one."

Tsuna scratched his cheek, embarrassed. It felt so weird to be complimented by a giant snake which could kill you with her gaze or with a single drop of her venom. Two sunset orbs met two deadly split pupils. Midori approached, making Kage-chan tensed.

"Do not worry, wise predator." The Basilisk assured when she noticed the nekomata's reaction. "I will do no harm to my savior."

She turned towards the brunet, staring into his eyes. "Listen well, little one. I only stayed in this realm to give you a message. I will leave immediately after."

"I'm listening." Tsuna replied with a frown.

"Your old foe has come back. He will seek you for revenge."

Tsuna grabbed his right shoulder, his fingers digging into his skin. His breaths and heart beat accelerated. Kage-chan crooned softly in an attempt to appease him. Midori gave him a worried look.

"Be careful, little one. I would hate to fight him in order to avenge you."

She left quietly after, leaving confused exorcists looking at a trembling teen, gripping his shoulder painfully enough to bruise. Reborn hopped down, a hundred questions swirling into his head. Tsuna fell to the ground, hugging tightly his knees as he struggled to breathe. Kage-chan settled around him, hugging him and licking him in order to comfort him. Reborn put a tiny hand on one of the brunet's leg, softly giving him instructions to avoid him fainting. Even though the hitman wanted answers, it was more important to calm down the shivering mess that was his student.

Iacopo stood wordlessly a few feet away, watching the strange sight of a nekomata crooning at a human child with a frightening infant shushing him.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Hello, it has been a while, hasn't it?  
Well, between college and work, I'm trying to manage my time to write. Needless to say, that's not quite effective for now.  
I'll try at least to update monthly.

Popoli. Never went there. Just see photos, so I can't tell much.

As usual, if I made any mistake, feel free to tell me. There's always room for improvement, right?  
Thanks again for reading!

See you next chapter~


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

 **Warnings:** AU (sort of)/Unbeta'ed/mention of blood

 **Rating:** T (for language and violence that will appear later)

 **A/N:** Thank you for the reviews, the fav/follows and especially for your patience!  
Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

His fingers dug into his shoulder, feeling the scars burning and scorching his skin. Memories threatened to emerge once again. Tsuna curled on himself, trying to appear as small as possible. For a moment, he wished he was safe at home with his mother and Kogane, before he reached nine years old, before he left for a job, before he attracted the wrong attention, before _him_.

Kioku.

Memories.

 _How ironic._

 _He_ had called himself Kioku. _He_ had said that he was ancient, very ancient. _He_ was so old that his knowledge and his thoughts were the memories of the other beings. _He_ knew a lot. _He_ was the one who remembered, who had experienced, who had lived and who had seen. _He_ was a Memory.

Hence Kioku.

Tsuna remembered how deep _his_ teeth had mercilessly bitten into his shoulder. He remembered his tears, his screams and his soundless begging. He remembered feeling his blood flowing from his shoulder freely. He wished he could forget but he couldn't. The _scars_ were there, always. He didn't need to see them to know they were there. They were always burning –a bearable pain, constant and present. Each time Tsuna remembered _him_ , the burning worsened to the point that he felt as if he had been thrown into a raging fire. So no, he didn't want to remember.

His right hand dug into the ground as deeply as he could. He let the earth ran between his fingers, focusing on the feeling and sensing every grain. He inhaled the scent of the forest made of leaves, barks and mud. His ears caught the breathing coming from the humans and Kage-chan near him as well as the ruffle of their clothes and some small sounds betraying the presence of a few animals. He leaned into the nekomata's fur, slowly relaxing. He was _here_ and not _there._ He was safe. That was all that mattered for now.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head before pausing. Kage-chan crooned one last time and nudged him a bit, urging him to stand. Stretching, he slowly got up, encouraged by the low thrum coming from Reborn's Flames in response to his own distress. Tsuna was sure the hitman wasn't even aware of his own Flames' reaction. The brunet exhaled slowly and turned to Iacopo.

The Italian had been standing there awkwardly, ignoring how to react. It was confusing to watch the teen panicked at the mere mention of a yôkai when seconds before, he was talking amiably with a _basilisk_. With a sharp command, he had ordered his men to keep watch to prevent any unwanted surprises.

"Are you okay?" Iacopo spoke up first when Tsuna seemed to recover enough to be able to talk.

"I-"He inhaled deeply, settling his nerves definitively. "I'm alright."

"So," the Italian began, choosing to dodge the subject for now, "where did the basilisk go?"

"Midori left for the yôkai world. She won't return."

He sounded absolutely certain despite talking so slowly. Iacopo believed him without even doubting once his words and relaxed temporarily. He still had to inform the family of the men he lost but that would come later. For now, he would simply appreciate the fact that his job was finished. Observing how Tsuna buried himself into the nekomata's fur, he frowned. Glancing at the silent infant who stood almost protectively in front of the brunet, Iacopo pursed his lips in hesitation. He was aware that the brunet's past and problems weren't any of his concern. However, if there were a slight possibility that this yôkai could bring trouble to the exorcists or the humans in general, he needed to know.

"Should we be concerned about the warning?"

Tsuna's hand stroked thoughtfully Kage-chan's fur. Kioku didn't care about humans. In fact, he probably didn't care about yôkai either. That meant that while he wouldn't hunt purposely humans and ayakashi, he wouldn't hesitate to kill whoever tried to stop him.

"I-I'm his only target but-"Tsuna hesitated briefly. He better be careful with his next words. He had to make clear that Kioku was extremely dangerous and powerful, and for that sole reason they should stay far away from him. Some exorcists would try to hunt him down 'just in case' but hopefully they would be a minority. "Kioku is a very old and powerful yôkai. He is probably as strong as a wise basilisk or a dragon."

Iacopo quickly paled. "What kind is he?"

"I-I don't know." Tsuna admitted as he bit his lips. "I remember fangs and claws, blood and dirt, a suffocating and heavy presence, an ancient and greedy power…" His voice died as he took a shuddering breath and swallowed loudly. "D-Don't try to find him. He'll crush you far too easily."

"You're aware that if this yôkai were to catch you-"

"I'll certainly die." Tsuna quietly finished.

Reborn tilted his fedora down, hiding his grim expression. Kage-chan's tails circled protectively around the brunet's waist.

"Aren't you the Conciliator? Surely, there's something you can do." Iacopo reasoned.

Tsuna gave him a weak smile. "I'm only human, Mr. Iacopo. There's not much I can do. Only a kami's help may save me but the price is too high."

Silence fell. What was left to say? Both of them knew it was pointless to look for a solution that didn't exist. Iacopo let his eyes wander around them, settling on his men. He thought of the ones he had lost when facing Midori. He winced at the perspective of informing their families. He had never enjoyed being the messenger of their deaths. He would never be able to get used to the pain, the desperation and the anger felt by the families. A part of him didn't want to. It was only human to feel such emotions. Even if his men and he knew the risks of their jobs; it didn't lessen their guilt and their fear. He turned towards Tsuna who was fighting another battle –a lost one.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Suzume."

"Don't mention it, Mr. Iacopo." Tsuna smiled politely with a touch of relief. "I've merely done my duty."

With a last shared nod, they both turned away from each other. Kage-chan walked away first, half-dragging Tsuna. Reborn jumped on his left shoulder, wondering where he should begin his questions. Tsuna sighed tiredly, passing a hand on his face. With Kioku free once again, the clan needed to be alerted. In fact, it was a little bit strange that they hadn't contact him before. The clan was supposed to watch him. This silence wasn't comforting. Several possibilities could have happened and prevented them to warn him. First, they could have stopped watching Kioku for a reason and another. Secondly, they could have missed Kioku's breaking when the clan was unstable or focused elsewhere. Thirdly, there could have been a traitor among them who chose to free the yôkai for their own benefit. Either way, Tsuna needed to contact them and get some information. Tôshi-san hadn't stayed in town and had probably gone his merry way. He wouldn't spend his time trying to find where the exorcist was. As soon as he got back, he would make a call and send a letter.

Tsuna still had another issue to deal with, currently riding his shoulder. The Sun Flames had been comforting earlier but now that the panic had vanished, they were swirling with impatience and a touch of annoyance. The brunet had no doubt that Reborn was more than a little bit annoyed even if his Flames were much calmer than him.

"There are a lot of things you need to explain, Tsuna." Reborn finally stated with a voice void of any emotion, switching back to Japanese.

"I-I don't know where to begin." Tsuna admitted with a wince.

"Start with explaining what your world is."

"My world." He repeated thoughtfully, passing a nervous hand in his hair. "My world belongs to secrecy and fantasy. Everyone thinks that dragons and mermaids are only imaginary creatures born from superstition and tradition. They are all wrong. Those who belong to tales and imagination share the same air as us. Some hide while others mingle with humans."

He took a deep breath, feeling both scared and relieved to be able to confide.

"The Gifted are humans who can See and interact with yôkai and supernatural creatures." He carried on. "The Sightless are those who live in ignorance and will thankfully never be aware that they are not the only ones to wander on Earth."

"Nana and you are Gifted while I am a Sightless." Reborn summarized, watching the rustle of grass and leaves in front of them, betraying Kage-chan's presence.

"Basically, yes." Tsuna replied as he folded his hands to stop showing his nervousness. "However, Mom and I are a little bit special."

"Your job." The hitman guessed immediately.

"As Conciliator, I am a mediator between humans and yôkai. I take requests from them and I settle their issues as peacefully and fairly as possible. It can be finding a lost item or finding a missing person."

"The first night, what did you have to do?" Reborn asked, remembering his sudden disappearance.

"A yôkai asked me to find a friend of his who had disappeared." Tsuna answered before yelping when a branch smacked his face. He could totally feel the sadistic amusement radiating from his tiny tutor. "Turned out that this friend had been sealed and without the help of a Gifted or a strong yôkai, he wouldn't have been able to get out."

"You also deal with curses, just like you did with Kyôko." His voice was even, not betraying any emotions Reborn could feel.

"It depends on the curse in question." Tsuna hesitated a little before carrying on. "Curses are very tricky. The one Kyôko-chan suffered from had been a draining one, caused by an akuryô –an evil spirit. By exorcising the spirit or annihilating it, the curse had vanished. However, there are all sorts of curses and ill-wishes. Sometimes, I can't do anything and I need the help of other yôkai. Other times, there is nothing to do."

"Origins and causes are determining, as are the conditions and the nature."

The brunet nodded. "Yes, that's right. It is very easy to curse but to lift one is another matter altogether." He bit his lips, wondering if he should dare propose. Eventually he did. "However, one of my acquaintances is kind of an expert about them. I can ask about yours if you wish."

Tsuna waited his answer in a tense silence. There was no doubt that the curse was a sore spot for Reborn and according to their few interactions, there was a high chance that the hitman would react violently for even offering. His tutor's Flames flared brightly in brief intimidation, making Tsuna twitch. His body stiffened in anticipation.

A sudden scream shattered the tension, startling them. Tsuna quickly paled, recognizing the timbre of the voice.

"Kage-chan!" He exclaimed in a panic.

The nekomata didn't answer, unwinding her tails from around his waist, and vanished in the forest with a growl. Tsuna didn't try to follow her –instead he focused on the cries to guide him through the trees. His heart clenched upon hearing the despair and the pain in the voice. For the screams didn't belong to any grown-ups but to a child. He didn't have much time, he needed to hurry and to find them before it was too late. He was running and tripping again and again over roots and rocks, unable to perceive the obstacles under his feet. He was slowed down by the forest despite his efforts.

Sometimes, he really hated his blindness.

"Reborn, please, would you be my eyes for a little bit?" Tsuna asked desperately.

Reborn easily agreed to his request. He may be a hitman but he didn't enjoy hearing a child's cry of agony. On the contrary, he would be more than happy to riddle with bullets the fucking dog who dared to attack a kid. He had to wonder though. Who or what were they going to face?

Tsuna ran, following Reborn's instructions and getting closer to the screams. He could sense Kage-chan's presence nearby, as well as another yôkai. Or was it? The presence felt wrong somehow –different from the usual impression he got from yôkai. His thoughts were brutally interrupted by the sudden silence. He paused briefly, stricken by horror.

"No, no, no, no, no…" He whispered as he forced his legs to move faster.

Silence could mean only one thing. He abruptly stopped once again when the smell of blood reached him. He gagged at its intensity, taking a few steps back. He turned his head towards Kage-chan who had come only a few seconds earlier than them.

"Did you…have you…?"

"No." She answered sadly, looking at the ground turned red by the blood.

She didn't know what kind of yôkai had attacked. They were gone when she arrived. Well, in fact, she didn't know _what_ had been there. It felt different –very different from her kind- but somehow familiar. She had already met this sort of being but she couldn't remember when or where. She needed to recall what it was. She absolutely loathed the idea of something like this thing lurking near her cub. She had to remember, and the earlier the better.

Her gaze shifted towards Tsuna who had unconsciously dug his fingers into his right shoulder, looking utterly horrified and pained. He was probably blaming himself for his lateness, for his blindness that hindered him and for his lack of awareness. He had missed the presence of a child in the woods. Of course, he couldn't have been able to perceive anyone beside Reborn and herself but- Tsuna was like this, taking responsibility for a tragedy he couldn't have prevented.

Reborn lowered his fedora, glad for Tsuna's blindness. Upon seeing this much of spilled blood, the hitman knew without a doubt that the child was dead. Judging from his observations, the responsible had chosen to take his time before hurrying abruptly, probably pressured by their arrival. Now, how did they leave so quickly without being seen?

Steps came fast towards them, snapping them out of their thoughts. Kage-chan instantly went to Tsuna's side but kept silent, not giving any warning or comforting sounds. Reborn recognized before Tsuna the approaching shadow. Iacopo stood a few feet away, a grim expression twisting his lips down. His men stayed behind him, looking warily at Kage-chan. Only half of them were present, the others were currently gone to bring back their fallen comrades in town and prepare everything to return them to their families.

"I didn't expect to see you again so early, Mr. Suzume." The Italian finally commented in a tired voice, looking at Tsuna. "Have you seen the culprit?"

"We-we were too late." The brunet answered in the exorcist's language and winced, getting paler as his senses got overwhelmed by the smell of blood and the heavy presence of death. He knew that unpleasant memories would come back if he stayed there. Reborn harshly pulled on his cheek, reminding him to stop stuttering.

Iacopo watched the boy with his eyes narrowed, a sudden suspicion flashing in his mind. "Are you sure that the basilisk had returned to its realm?"

"Midori would never do that!" Tsuna almost shrieked, offended. "She _hates_ human, she doesn't find them _tasty_. Besides, she would never attack _children_."

"Moreover a basilisk is quite hard to miss." Kage-chan commented dryly.

"You're right, of course." Iacopo sighed, passing a hand on his face. "But you're aware that we have a child-eater in liberty now, aren't you?"

Silence fell. The Italian man's and his men's expression darkened, thinking about their lost companions and now _this_. Some days, they really hated yôkai. They witnessed horrible deeds but a child's death was always one of the worst. In these occasions, they simply wanted to destroy every ayakashi they encountered to prevent such tragedies to happen again. It wasn't a solution though. They knew it but they couldn't help thinking about it each time.

Iacopo gazed at the Conciliator, noting how sick he looked. He idly wondered if it was the first time the child met such a situation. Suzume was amazing in a way. Befriending a basilisk wasn't an easy task. However, he was still a kid with a painful past as it was proved with the previous break down when this Kioku had been mentioned. Iacopo hesitated to ask for his help once again. Dealing with a child-eater was worse than meeting a basilisk. Children death was a heavy weight on one's soul. Somewhere, somehow, Iacopo wanted to spare Suzume –he didn't want the teen to be a part of this horrendous hunt for a monster. No one would leave unscathed once they would have dealt with this abomination.

"Mr. Suzume, we will handle this." Iacopo spoke up. "We greatly appreciated your help before but for this case, we would like you to leave this matter to us. It is not something for you to live."

Kage-chan and Reborn observed Tsuna, waiting for his reaction. They both had an idea of his thoughts. The former had known him for far too long to be ignorant while the other was an expert in reading people. It wasn't surprising that their supposition was correct. Tsuna turned to properly face Iacopo, determination set on his features.

"I thank you for your concern, Mr. Iacopo." He began and his interlocutor instantly knew that he wouldn't like what was going to follow. "However, as Conciliator, one of my duties is to preserve peace and balance. I cannot let a child-eating yôkai running free." Or whatever it was.

"With all due respect, Conciliator, this isn't something you can handle." The Italian firmly replied. "It is not a task for a child, no matter how powerful you are."

"My age is irrelevant." Tsuna then unexpectedly smiled kindly and knowingly at Iacopo, understanding the reasons that motivated him to push the brunet away. "Mr. Iacopo, I am sorry but I will not budge. I will help you whether you accept it or not. I simply cannot choose to do nothing when I know that I can be of help –I can change and perhaps save another child from a similar end."

"And I can't let you do that!" Iacopo snapped in concern. "You are young, Suzume. You shouldn't have to witness such horrors. You shouldn't have to lose another piece of innocence. You should be able to live in blissful ignorance instead of pursuing monsters."

Reborn could totally empathize with him. In a way, this situation could be seen in the Mafia. Children weren't _eaten_ per say, but they were victim of experimentation or other painful and horrifying experiences. Sometimes they were so broken that death was the only relief and salvation for them. However, Tsuna was a very stubborn Sky and Iacopo was no match against him. The brunet would act as he pleased and the exorcist wouldn't be able to stop him.

"It is too late for me, Mr. Iacopo." Tsuna answered softly with sadness lacing his voice. "I've always known what both humans and yôkai were capable of. I'm already prepared for the worst."

They all could hear the truth in his words as he sincerely believed in them. Iacopo's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"In this case, we accept your help, Mr. Suzume." He reluctantly agreed with almost despair in his tone. "However, I ask you to always inform one of us to any of your actions. You will not be the one who will face this yôkai. Can I have your word that you will not confront this monster alone?"

"Consider that you have it, Mr. Iacopo. I thank you for letting me participate." Tsuna accepted easily enough.

"You shouldn't." Iacopo whispered sadly, passing a tired hand on his face. "You really shouldn't." He straightened then, pondering on their next moves. "We will return to the hotel for now and sleep." He decided, nodding to himself. "For now, we can't do much when the sun hasn't yet risen."

"Mr. Iacopo-"

"Just call me Iacopo or Filippo." The Italian exorcist interrupted him. "It will be easier like this, especially since we're going to work together."

"In this case, please call me Suzume." Tsuna smiled, actually relieved to get rid of the stiff politeness. "I don't think I can go back to the hotel. Tôshi-san had probably only paid a room for a night or two, not several."

Iacopo looked mildly surprised. "I was thinking of paying for your room." He admitted with a sheepish smile. "I mean no offense Suzume, but you're still a child so…" His voice trailed off as he didn't know how to finish his sentence without sounding offending or presumptuous.

"If you are completely all right with it, then I will gladly accept your offer, Iacopo." Tsuna sighed in relief and slightly shifted in awkwardness, a little bit embarrassed at the thought of relying on someone else to take care of him.

"Then it is settled." Iacopo turned to his men who had stayed close, hearing everything. The whispering conversations between them died and they focused on their leader. "Let's go and stay alert."

Tsuna stayed a little bit behind, following Iacopo who was quietly discussing with one of his men. Kage-chan was walking closely to her cub, ready to catch him at any moment and to take him out of danger. Reborn was still sitting on his student's shoulder, thinking about the scene they had just left. He was reluctant to interrogate the teen, knowing how vulnerable he was between his panic caused by Midori's words which had surely brought back buried memories and the death of a child, signaling the presence of a human-eating monster. Moreover, the exorcists' presence prevented him to discuss privately with the brunet. As they crossed the forest to return to the cars parked not far from the road, Reborn started to connect some dots, seeing the past days in a new light.

Firstly, Tsuna's disappearance in the first night was easily explained, as well as his past behavior about his absences in school. Obviously, his job as Conciliator was his priority over almost everything else. If he had to help both yôkai and humans on a daily basis, it wasn't surprising that he was failing in the subjects he hated while he managed to be at least average –or excellent- in those he preferred. Since he sometimes had to travel out of the country, he had to learn a few languages to be able to understand and to be understood each time he had to communicate. Added to his kind personality, Reborn had no doubt that Tsuna would always choose to skip classes just to answer any request he had received. While it was good for him to have such a sense of responsibility, he needed knowledge offered through education. Well, there was a reason Reborn was here, wasn't it?

Secondly, Reborn could _finally_ guess who these extremely annoying _great friends_ were. Hibari was obviously one of them since the Skylark was in the secret and let Tsuna leave the school grounds to complete his missions. Kiyome-sensei was certainly the yôkai who had healed the brunet with this mysterious powder. Suddenly, it made sense that the hitman hadn't been able to determine the components. How could he after all, when the powder wasn't even part of _this world_? Then, Kage-chan who had always appeared as a stalking black cat turned out to be another yôkai. Nana was guilty as well since it was obvious that this Gift which had been passed on Tsuna certainly came from her. She had never hidden that she knew much more than she let others believe. There was also Midori, the freaking Basilisk, who was –perhaps- a little bit attached to the kid. Well, even if Reborn had managed to identify at least four of these _friends_ , he had the distinct feeling that he was nowhere near the truth.

Lastly –and probably the most important aspect of this whole mess- Tsuna was _always_ in danger. The first night, he had been chased until he reached his house. Reborn had suspected bullies but in fact, it was certainly a yôkai which had tried to –well, probably eat him or something of the kind. Reborn silently wondered how Tsuna had managed to survive until now. He was surrounded by enemies for he had human bullies and yôkai attackers. Obviously Kage-chan was certainly protecting him but he had to live through this before he met her. So how _on Earth_ had he succeeded in surviving?

Then horror struck the hitman. Nono had _sealed_ Tsuna's Flames when he was four or five. That meant that the brunet had turned into a complete klutz with motor coordination problem, lack of focus and since his Flames couldn't correctly Harmonized with its surroundings, the Sky attraction –which was usually beneficial and something akin to a blessing or a drug for the other Elements- turned into an almost curse, bringing the worst kind of attention on him. In other words, Tsuna was even more vulnerable than any innocent child when Nono came. How did he defend himself against both yôkai and humans trying to attack him? How was he still _alive_?

Reborn's respect for Nana only increased. She had obviously been the one to protect him from the beginning. Unfortunately, even the best could fail. There was only one way Tsuna could have been able to crack the seal –and if Nono had been a less powerful Sky, the seal would have completely broken the first time- Tsuna had lived a near death experience. He had almost died and even then –it hadn't been enough. Judging by his panic earlier, this Kioku was probably the yôkai who had almost succeeded in killing the brunet.

Reborn resisted the urge to rub his forehead and sigh. Tsuna was probably the unluckiest person he had ever met. The brunet had the biggest Mafia Family on his track, desiring his head on a silver plate, and apparently a very powerful yôkai who had already tried to eat him was coming back for him. _Great_. It was just _great_. Training Tsuna to survive became a more and more tremendous task for the hitman. Of course, he was the best and until now, he never failed any of his assignments. He wouldn't begin now. Besides, Tsuna clearly had potential. To be able to gather allies despite the seal and to survive all these years was a sign that the brunet could be much more than he was actually. Reborn was ready to bet on this small possibility. Since he was one to lose any kind of bet, he would be proven right –as usual.

Of course, Reborn still had a multitude of questions swirling in his mind but they could wait for the appropriate moment.

As they left the forest and neared the cars, Kage-chan decided to transform back into her cat form. Reborn didn't even blink, merely staring at how the feline seemingly appeared from the shadows. Tsuna immediately picked her up, seeking comfort. He was tired. Between his talk with Midori, the pressure from his memories, the death of the child and the bound-to-happen discussion with Reborn, he was starting to feel drained. While it was true that his blindness allowed him to meet a basilisk gaze, he couldn't –shouldn't- stand it for too long. After all, basilisks were outrageously powerful yôkai. Their ability to kill or to petrify with a single look was screaming evidence. They could have chosen any other mean to channel their spiritual energy –in other words, their power- but for a reason or another, their eyes took on this role.

Sure, it was quicker and more effective for basilisks when their enemies could actually see them. However, blindness didn't protect anyone from their gazes. Since it wasn't the _eyes_ that killed but the _power_ , Tsuna needed to withdraw nonetheless. Even though Conciliators were known to have great power, they were no _Kami_ and therefore, they were still vulnerable. In fact, to keep an apparent balance, Conciliators had to lose at least one of their senses to become an adequate receptacle for their spiritual power. _A weak body for a strong mind._

Of course, as usual with Tsuna, nothing seemed to be as expected.

So yes, Tsuna was able to briefly withstand Midori's gaze, just like any being with a really strong spiritual power, including _Kami_ , dragons, phoenix and others. However, it was particularly draining, so it was easier to simply keep his eyes closed as he was used to.

Tsuna knew that as soon as they were back to the hotel, that he should sleep. But he was scared –terrified even. He knew that if he succumbed to his exhaustion, everything would come back to him. He would live these memories once again and he certainly did not wish to suffer through this. Thankfully he had an idea on how to keep awake and being useful in the same time.

Settled on the backseats in one of the cars –with Iacopo driving-, Tsuna lowered his head.

"Kage-chan-"

"No." She instantly interrupted him. "I'm not going anywhere. You're not safe and I'm the only one able to protect you."

"But I need-"

"To sleep." She cut him sternly. "I can tell that your energy had drastically dropped. I'm not even sure you could feed one of the cats in your state. Let alone craft charms and amulets."

"I won't sleep." Tsuna refused with a frown. "And you're exaggerating. I'm not that depleted."

"Yes, you are." She hissed, standing on his knees and sending him a disapproving look. "I am a yôkai. I can sense this sort of things."

"I won't sleep." He repeated obstinately as the car slowed down, nearing the hotel. "I can rest though."

"Suzume, you have to let your body and mind rest." Kage-chan persisted, talking slowly as if he were a disobedient child. "How are you supposed to recuperate otherwise?"

Iacopo glanced at them through the rear-view mirror before entering into the hotel parking. He wisely stayed out of the argument as Reborn chose to, listening.

"You know that I can't sleep, Kage-chan." Tsuna protested quietly as the exorcist cut off the motor once parked.

They got out of the car, Reborn back on the brunet's shoulder while the nekomata stayed in his arms.

"If you can't protect yourself and the others because you refuse to let your body and power recover, Dame-Tsuna, you'll be a burden." The hitman finally intervened flatly, making Iacopo wince as he heard the harsh words.

Tsuna flinched in both guilt and fear, following the exorcist and his men inside. He bit his lips in frustration. They were right of course. He knew that but he couldn't sleep. If he were to actually revive Kioku's attack – _the blood, the helplessness, the pain, the agony and this certitude that he was going to die there, alone, devoured, leaving his Mom lonely in a far too big house-_ he didn't know if he would be able to wake up and be alright once again.

He barely noticed Iacopo leading them to the reception desk, talking about how many rooms they needed and giving him a key –which was taken by Reborn anyway.

"Suzume, you should go rest first." The exorcist spoke up, observing the trio and honestly getting uncomfortable in this tense silence. "I still need to talk to my men about a few details. We'll see each other at seven, for breakfast. Good night."

"T-thank you." Tsuna replied before stifling a yelp when Reborn twisted his ear painfully for his stutter. "See you tomorrow morning, Iacopo."

The hitman simply nodded at the Italian and urged the brunet to move. Tsuna obeyed reluctantly, climbing the stairs as directed by his tutor. Their room was the exact same one the brunet and the nekomata had left earlier. Since the hotel didn't have any reservations for it, it was easy to get it back. Reborn opened the door and locked it as soon as they entered. He kicked his student towards the bed before shutting the windows and curtains close. Kage-chan, surprisingly, stayed put on the only chair in the room.

"I don't want to sleep." The teen spoke up in Japanese as he sat on the covers, aware of the stares he was receiving.

"You need to." Reborn replied simply, apparently taking over Kage-chan.

"I don't want to remember." Tsuna finally admitted in a whisper, his expression showing his fear.

"Unfortunately, until you accept what had happened, the memories won't stop tormenting you." The hitman was as blunt as ever, seemingly cruel with his words. "If you can't accept this fear and move on, you will be completely devoured by your anguish. Live with it or succumb to your own pain."

For a moment, something really close to anger almost made him snarl. Then, Tsuna's shoulders slumped in defeat and desperation.

"How?" He murmured. "For years I have avoided the memories, struggling to keep them at bay. I was –am so afraid. How can I do that?"

"You will need time." Reborn acknowledged, patiently trying to guide him. "It is a long fight that awaits you. I will not lie to you, Tsuna. Once it will be done, you will not feel lighter and you will keep a faint pain that will seem unbearable on the worst days. However, you will grow stronger from it and you will finally gain the ability to prevent it from happening ever again –to you and to those you cherished."

They all stayed silent afterwards, raptly watching Tsuna as he let the words sank in. Reborn had been sincere in his little speech but it was also a sort of a test. He needed to witness the strength of Tsuna's will. If his will was weak, then the brunet wouldn't survive the incoming trials awaiting him. This –these memories with Kioku- was the first step.

"I-I don't know if I c-can do this alone…" Tsuna's voice faltered at the end, sounding suddenly a lot more like the child he was, far from the usual formality he used.

"You won't be alone, cub." Kage-chan instantly reacted, leaving the chair to jump on his knees, purring. "You're not fighting alone, Tsuna. Not now, not ever."

Tsuna hesitantly got under the covers, tightly squeezing his hands together on his chest. He breathed deeply in a vain attempt to calm down. He kind of understood what Reborn meant. He was aware that the terror that Kioku inspired him was paralyzing him, preventing him from truly relaxing. Every day, he was afraid that the yôkai would appear to finish what he had started. And now, with Midori's confirmation, the part of him which was still prisoner of this event, was desperately wishing to return to his mother and to hide forever in a locked and safe place. Another one, much more pessimistic, almost wanted Kioku to find him and eat him quickly, to let this hunting nightmare vanish. Thankfully, the most important part wanted to live with his family –Mom, Kage-chan, Kogane, Kiyome, the cats- and his friends –Kyôya and Tetsuya. If Tsuna could finally obtain the power to protect his loved ones, then it was worth trying.

It didn't matter that Tsuna would most likely end up eaten by Kioku if his family was safe.

Kage-chan settled on the pillow, near his head and purred steadily.

"Sleep. We're watching over you." Reborn consented to add, knowing what Tsuna needed to hear.

Drawing comfort from both the hitman's words and the nekomata's purr, Tsuna finally fell asleep, vanquished by his exhaustion.

As soon as Tsuna was dead to the world, Kage-chan turned her piercing and seemingly glowing eyes towards Reborn. They stared each other down, unblinking. The room was completely dark without any light coming through. Curtains were closed and all electronic devices had been turned off. However, Reborn couldn't help but think that something was wrong. The darkness was too deep, wrapped around them tightly. He couldn't see anything but two unnatural eyes floating in a sea of shadows. Silence had completely engulfed the room, without letting any sound coming. Reborn couldn't even hear Tsuna's quiet breathes or his own. His senses were overwhelmed by this immobility, successfully preventing him to analyze his environment. He narrowed his eyes but didn't move otherwise, knowing that it was merely a show of Kage-chan's power.

"You know, there is a reason for Tsuna to call me Kage." The yôkai began, her voice resounded around him. "I'm sure you know what it means."

Reborn simply glared at the disturbing odd-colored eyes.

"I was born on a moonless night from the hatred and the scorn humans harbored towards a pitiful and young cat."

Suddenly, the darkness moved around Reborn, brushing against him. He fought back a traitorous shiver at the sensation. Her voice turned into a low and caressing purr.

"I began by devouring the filthy humans who turned me into this monster, of course. Then, I spent quite a few centuries enjoying myself and eating whoever I met. I only grew stronger and stronger, mastering my powers."

She chuckled eerily, revealing far too many sharp teeth for a cat.

"There I am before you, tiny human. Be grateful for I am one of the very few Shadows that will not try to swallow you."

Reborn tensed, feeling his throat getting slowly and painfully constricted. He instinctively glanced down but he couldn't see anything. Refusing to show any emotions, he forced his body to relax and took shallow breathes. One of his hands twitched as he fought his urge to shoot the eyes in front of him. He felt Leon crawling uncertainly on his hat before he was forcefully stilled.

"Do you understand, human?" Kage asked, briefly tightening her hold on Reborn and preventing him from breathing.

The hitman felt his Flames reacting violently, trying to break free. He didn't let them for two reasons. First, he didn't want to take the risk to accidentally hurt Leon or Tsuna when it was clear that the cat wasn't trying to kill him. Secondly, he refused to show any hint of fear and letting his Flames going wild would be seen as a show of weakness. Reborn was certainly not weak.

"You are hiding something important from Tsuna." She stated flatly, releasing him but still showing her teeth. "He knows that but he is willing to offer you a chance."

Her eyes were suddenly just in front of him, as were her jaws. Her cold breath ran on his face, making him twitch and almost reached for one of his guns. He absolutely hated it when his personal space was invaded –especially without his consent.

"Harm him and I will eat you. Break his trust and I will rip you apart. Betray him and I will end you." She hissed threateningly. "For you are nothing but a meal for me, human."

Kage retreated, as did the darkness as well. Sounds came back at once as the cat settled comfortably on top of Tsuna to watch him. The brunet hadn't even moved during the brief confrontation, blissfully unaware of Reborn's frustration and the nekomata's distrust. Leon shifted on the fedora and crawled down to settle against the infant's neck, wishing for a little bit of comfort. Reborn let him do so, deep in his thoughts.

He had already known that he was an easy target for the yôkai but living it was another matter altogether. His fists clenched briefly. He absolutely loathed how helpless he had felt for an instant. No one was allowed to make him feel like this. He wasn't a lonely child struggling to survive in a far too cruel environment. Not anymore.

Reborn snapped out of his thoughts when Tsuna's breathing pattern abruptly changed. He instantly turned sharply his eyes on him, seeing him struggling under the covers. A soft whimper escaped his lips as he suddenly froze.

Somehow, the explosion of Sky Flames didn't surprise Reborn.

He was preparing to do some damage control when he noticed that the Flames weren't destructive. The room was basking in a soft light as they wrapped themselves around their owner. Reborn raised an eyebrow when he understood that Tsuna was unconsciously using the Harmony to calm down. The kid was probably trying to keep at bay his harsh memories to get proper rest. Well, as clever as the trick could be, it wouldn't work twice. Usually, Flames had poor influence on their owner. Sky or not, Tsuna was no exception. For this night, it would be effective. The others though were another matter.

Reborn smirked when he noticed how Kage-chan flinched away from the Flames. That sure was an interesting reaction. Were yôkai affected by Dying Will Flames or was it simply the oddity in Tsuna's ones that could reach ayakashi? If it was the former, then Reborn was probably able to use his own to at least protect himself.

The Flames vanished once Tsuna reached the deeper stage of his slumber where dreams couldn't torment him. Not for the first time, the hitman wondered what effect would have the Dying Will Bullet on the brunet. Would he enter into Dying Will Mode? Would he skip this stage to instantly reach Hyper Dying Will Mode? Would he spontaneously combust, unable to control his Flames? There was also the possibility that the Bullet effects clashed with Tsuna's powers. Reborn didn't have any means to get the answers without risking Tsuna's safety. If he couldn't use any Bullets, that left only two options to the hitman –either he managed to get his hands on Dying Will Pills which presented the same problems as the Bullets or he had to figure out how Primo had first entered Hyper Dying Will Mode. While it was a priority for Tsuna to obtain perfect control on his Flames, the kid couldn't –shouldn't- enter Hyper Dying Will Mode. His body wasn't ready to bear this state without greatly weakening Tsuna.

Well, since he was in Italy, Reborn could take advantage of the situation and obtain more information about Enrico's moves. The hitman had had enough surprises for at least the next ten years.

/

Tsuna woke up abruptly as he fell down on the floor. He raised his head sleepily, hearing a snicker above him. Kage-chan was watching him with amusement in her eyes, her tails hitting lightly the sheet.

"Hurry up or you'll be late." Reborn warned him, somewhere behind him.

"What time is it?" Tsuna mumbled as he struggled to free himself from the covers he had taken with him.

He managed to wiggle out from them and stood, slightly losing his balance. He curiously felt light-headed and a little bit tired. He was genuinely surprised. After such a night, he had expected to have nightmares all night long without getting a second of rest. He didn't remember dreaming though so he apparently slept well.

"It is half past six, cub." Kage-chan finally answered when she noticed that he simply stayed put, lost in his thoughts.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" He shrieked, hurrying towards the bathroom and tripping all the way.

She huffed. "You needed rest to face the day ahead."

Tsuna only paused to grab some clothes, frowning as he knew that he had only some change left for two days or so. As he disappeared inside the bathroom, Reborn stood up to relax his tense muscles. Both the nekomata and the hitman ignored each other, especially since the latter wasn't in the state of mind to tolerate any misbehavior since he hadn't got any sleep, too busy watching Tsuna and his dangerous cat. He briefly closed his eyes to prepare himself to face another day of nonsense. He would need to quickly get used to this new manifestation of craziness, especially with the threats popping up regularly.

Tsuna came out ten minutes later and immediately stepped towards the door to only find it locked.

"I won't let you go out until you listen to me, Tsuna." Reborn spoke up behind him, calm and intimidating.

The brunet turned around, unconsciously shrinking on himself. He pressed himself against the door, suspecting what was going to follow.

"You still need to tell me everything, but considering the situation, I can wait." The hitman narrowed his eyes. "However, don't expect me to silently obey without asking any questions. I am here to protect you and to teach you how to survive. If I consider that your involvement turns to be far too dangerous for you to handle, I will force you to go back home. I don't care about your status as Conciliator."

Tsuna frowned and opened his mouth to answer.

"Don't even try to disobey me or you'll learn why my name is feared." Reborn interrupted him harshly, his voice clearly refusing any protests. "Do you understand, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna didn't say anything but nodded slowly. While he didn't know how far the hitman could go, he was certain that he didn't really want to try and discover the limits of Reborn's patience. Tsuna may be a bit naive and reckless but he was certainly not suicidal. It was better to comply with his tutor's wishes and pray that the situation wouldn't worsen. Reborn stared at him sharply for a few seconds, assessing his honesty. Finally deciding that Tsuna wouldn't dare to oppose him, the infant went to the door to unlock it and jumped on the brunet's shoulder. Kage-chan –who hadn't said anything, agreeing with the tiny human- followed them quietly as they joined Iacopo downstairs.

Unsurprisingly, they were the last to enter into the room serving the breakfast. Iacopo and his men were already eating but stopped briefly to greet them. Tsuna ate lightly, too nervous to really enjoy the food. It was easy to tell that everyone was tired and still a little bit wary, eyeing with some surprise Reborn's cursed form and the nekomata. The men had witnessed how at ease Tsuna had been with Midori but also how he had panicked at the mention of an unknown yôkai. In fact, they didn't know how to see him. While he had proved that he was certainly strong enough to hold a basilisk's gaze, he was still vulnerable emotionally speaking. Thus, they couldn't decide if the teen was indeed powerful and able to defend himself or if he was still a fragile child to protect. Needless to say, when confronting a human-eating yôkai, the exorcists needed the former.

Iacopo waited for everyone to finish their meal before gesturing to them to follow him. He led them to an empty room which was usually used as a restaurant in the evenings. Since it was early in the morning, the staff had allowed them to use it to hold their meeting. The men quickly pulled the tables close together to form one long table. Everyone settled on the chairs around it, exchanging grave glances.

"Alright, let's see what information we have on this monster." Iacopo began, waving at one his men to speak.

"Unfortunately, we only know a few elements." A male voice coming from Tsuna's left side sighed. "Apart from the fact that it eats humans and has the ability to quickly disappear, we have no physical description. No one knows how and when it has appeared."

"Considering where we are," another one carried on, "it can be a biscione."

"As I said before, I would have noticed a giant snake." Kage-chan intervened as she jumped on the table in front of Tsuna. "It wasn't Midori or a biscione. Think differently."

"What do you suggest then, cat? There aren't that many man-eating monsters running freely."

"You'd be surprised." She muttered with a twitch of annoyance. She, herself, could be considered as one of them, even if she hadn't devoured a human for probably one century or less.

"No, I think I understand what Kage-chan is trying to say." Tsuna spoke up to prevent any argument to break. "Somehow, the presence had felt wrong when I briefly sensed it. I think it doesn't belong to any yôkai –I mean, to any kind of supernatural creatures like basilisks."

They stared blankly at him.

"Unless you're suggesting that a human had done that…" One of the men said in a dubious voice.

Kage-chan scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, human. You're not able to disappear so quickly."

The fact that she didn't deny the possibility of humans committing this kind of horrifying deeds made a few of them sick. It was clear for the yôkai that humans could be as monstrous as any creatures. Tsuna grimaced at her words, knowing why she could affirm such things without any hesitation. She had witnessed terrible things in her long life and hadn't spared him in order to prepare him for the worse. He wished he was able to forget what he had heard but he couldn't do so. It was simply too shocking to be lost. The only one unaffected was Reborn who shared Kage-chan's opinion.

Iacopo suddenly paled as a thought crossed his mind.

"You're not thinking about demons, are you?" He asked the nekomata.

"What else could it be?" She scoffed, sending him a condescending glance.

A heavy silence fell. Some of them had already dealt with demons but others hadn't even met one. Exorcising demons were different than exorcising supernatural creatures. While the latter only demanded some persuasion or a seal in the most stubborn cases, demons required to find what kind it was, how it had been summoned, who had done the deed and if a contract had been made. According to the circumstances, exorcists had to react differently each time. Sometimes, a simple banishment was needed. Other times, there was no other choice but to kill it and pray that everyone would survive.

Tsuna frowned. There was something bugging him since he came in town. At first, he thought that meeting Midori would stop whatever it was to give him a headache but it hadn't left. Was it about the human-eater or was it something else? He rubbed his forehead, thinking.

"To summon a demon, one needs to follow rules." Someone was saying from the other end of the table. "A ritual is to be respected. As you may expect, it requires sacrifices of some sort. We would have noticed if livestock had disappeared or if humans had been missing."

"Especially with the recent murders caused by the basilisk." Another added then sighed. "Really, meeting both a demon and a basilisk on the same day in the same forest is too big of a coincidence."

Tsuna jerked suddenly, hitting the table with his right elbow. Kage-chan shot him a glance as the same thought crossed their minds.

"We don't believe in coincidences." He muttered and shifted on his chair in his agitation, missing how he had attracted everyone's attention on him.

The man was right. How odd it was to meet both a basilisk and a demon on the same night by chance. It was way too improbable to happen. Tsuna completely ignored the presences around him, focusing on his thoughts. What did he know? Yesterday, he had thought that Midori had been impatient to leave to get away from the exorcists. What if there was another reason? In fact, why Midori had been so near Popoli? She had simply said that she had stayed in the humans' world to pass a message but then, why choosing this town instead of coming in Namimori? Tsuna wasn't completely naive. Since the yôkai were watching him, it wasn't difficult to learn where he was living. Midori should have known that so why Italia instead of Japan?

What if she had known some way or another that he would come here? Did it mean that she had caused these deaths to attract him? Tsuna made a face at that. No, Midori wouldn't do that. She wouldn't seek humans to lure him out. Then, how did she know that he was coming? What if-

"What if she knew that something was going on here?" He wondered out loud, interrupting whatever was being discussed. "What if Midori knew that humans were being killed and chose to come?"

"Why would she do that?" Reborn asked, his eyes glinting as he observed how Tsuna reasoned.

"Tôshi-san –the clan- knows that I have met a basilisk when I was younger." The teen answered, lifting his head up. "Yôkai aren't stupid. By showing up, she attracted the clan's attention. Since dealing with basilisks is a delicate matter, sending someone with experience is a logical decision to make. Plus, since she had expected exorcists to come to her, she had the opportunity to ask for the Conciliator."

"But there's a witness." An exorcist protested. "Someone has seen her kill."

"That's true." Kage-chan acknowledged. "She has indeed killed a human and has been seen by another one, but in my opinion, it was an accident. As for your men, she probably defended herself."

"Midori has been nearly killed by humans when she was still very young." Tsuna quietly informed them. "She probably wouldn't have survived if I hadn't found her. Since then, she doesn't hesitate to kill to protect herself."

"If you're right, that means that the creature we have been told to stop is still somewhere out there and ready to strike again." Iacopo frowned and folded his hands in front of him.

"I'm sorry but I don't think Kage-chan and I are wrong." Tsuna smiled apologetically at him.

"Who has given you this mission?" Reborn asked then.

"The churches had contacted us when the third victim had been discovered." Iacopo answered and rubbed his chin with one of his hands. "If I remember correctly, the basilisk's victim was the sixth." His eyes widened. "Nereo, bring me a map!"

Said Nereo quickly left the room, hurrying upstairs. Iacopo patted his pockets, looking for his pen. Reborn watched him in silence, contemplating.

"Do you have access to the police reports?" He finally spoke up.

"Usually, no." One of the exorcists answered. "We only knew that a basilisk was there thanks to the rumors."

"So, you don't know who or what had caused the previous murders." The hitman commented and briefly met Iacopo's eyes. "You think that a human has killed five persons to perform some sort of ritual."

"This is exactly what I believe." Iacopo admitted and turned to Tsuna. "Have you ever dealt with demons before, Suzume?"

The teen shook his head in denial. He had never met any oni or any occidental demon during his jobs. The worst he had ever met had been some strong akuryô but until now, he hadn't had any encounter with demons. Nereo came back and spread out the map in front of his boss. Iacopo thanked him with a nod and started to mark some places with his pen.

"According to what we have gathered, these are the places where the victims had been discovered." He then traced lines between the different crosses, drawing a pentagram. "To summon a demon, you need to draw either a pentagram or a circle with runes." He explained to Tsuna who was the only one who couldn't see the map.

Tsuna connected the dots. "Do you mean that there is a pentagram or a circle on your map?"

"Unfortunately, yes." The Italian exorcist replied, rubbing his face with his free hand. "The ritual has been performed and a demon has been invoked."

"Considering the size of the pentagram, the gate is quite huge." One of his men commented with a croaked voice. "Anything could have crossed it."

"In the best case, only one has answered to the call." His boss carried on, pocketing his pen. "In the worst case, the gate is still open and demons will continue to come."

A grim silence fell briefly. It was already difficult to catch one demon. Exorcise several of them would quickly turn to be an almost impossible task.

"We need to determine if the gate is still active." Iacopo thought aloud, back to rubbing his chin with his hand. "We also have to find the invoker and the demon which had…eaten…the child." He winced at that.

"I'll suggest you to question the members of the churches." Reborn intervened as calmly as usual. "The churches have called you when the third victim had been discovered and before the police actually made any link between the victims. That means that someone knew or at least suspected that a summoning ritual was being held."

Iacopo nodded at that. He actually didn't think about it since he hadn't found the request suspicious. He guessed that an external point of view was sometimes really benefic. He couldn't help but wonder who Renato was though. The cursed man was eerily calm even though the situation was highly dangerous for all persons present in the town. Even Suzume who was kind of used to these sorts of crisis seemed more affected. The boy was visibly trying to mask his growing panic and worry. In fact, only the cat and the infant didn't appear perturbed at all. That was actually kind of disturbing.

"Alright." Iacopo straightened, banishing this last thought. "We need to split up."

"E-excuse me." Tsuna interrupted him, wincing at his stutter. "I doubt that I'll be of any help with the gate or even the demon. I don't know any sealing or exorcising techniques." He quietly admitted, shrinking a little bit on himself.

The exorcists looked at him in stupefaction.

"Really?" Someone exclaimed, stunned. "How do you even deal with them?"

"I talk to them, I guess?" Tsuna muttered with a weak smile which looked more like a grimace. "Usually, I only need to kick them or to use a talisman to chase the yôkai away when they're too persistent."

A dumbfounded silence fell briefly on the table as they stared wordlessly at him. They had trouble figuring if the kid was incredibly naive or outrageously lucky. Iacopo cleared his throat, bringing back the attention on him.

"Can you maybe craft some amulets for us to use?" He asked Tsuna. "I certainly don't want you to face the demon and it's simply out of question to send you anywhere near the gate. However, I wouldn't be against getting some ways to protect ourselves."

Tsuna tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, I am not sure what can be useful against occidental demons. I'll need to talk with some priests or maybe consult some people in town to get some clues." He suddenly remembered Agnella's grandmother. There was a slight chance that she would be able to help him. "I can think of someone." He added.

Iacopo hummed thoughtfully, looking around. "Nereo, you will stay with Suzume and assist him, especially if he wants to talk with members of the churches. Protect him, alright?" He didn't wait for the answer, knowing that he would be obeyed. "We'll split up in two groups. Three men will interrogate the ecclesiastics while the two others will come with me to inspect the gate. If anyone learns that we have more than one demon to exorcise, I will call for help." He glanced at his watch. "I want everyone here at seven o'clock with information. Be careful and keep your eyes sharp. I want you to come back safe and sound."

While the exorcists formed the groups, a short male with ginger hair approached Tsuna.

"Ciao Renato, Suzume and…" His bubbly voice paused as Nereo searched in his mind the nekomata's name.

"Kage-chan." Tsuna completed with an amused voice, instantly at ease with the exorcist, while Reborn nodded at him as a greeting.

The nekomata ignored him, jumping on the ground.

"I'll remember it." Nereo glanced briefly at his boss before focusing back on the teen in front of him. "So, Suzume, where do you wish to begin?"

"I think that I need to see some good people before talking with any priests." Tsuna answered, standing up.

"Lead the way then." The exorcist grinned, observing how Kage-chan let herself get picked up by the brunet and how the infant jumped on his shoulder.

Nereo silently wondered what kind of oddity this surprising boy would attract.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I'm back!  
I'm almost two months late -that should indicate me that I can't really keep monthly updates- so even if sometimes the wait is quite long, rest assured that I have no intention of abandoning this story.

Biscione: Giant snake usually depicted as devouring a man or a child. It is an Italian symbol quite known. In this chapter, I mentioned a biscione as a man-eater but on other perspective, it can be seen as giving birth to a man. That's the thing with symbols -there are always different ways to interpret them.

I don't pretend to know anything about demons, rituals, exorcisms or religion. Everything is made up even if I sometimes get inspiration from books or others (in these cases, I will indicate them, just like with the Uwan in chapter 2). I do not wish to offend anyone.

As usual, feel free to tell me if I made any mistakes -especially when they're quite horrible. Oh, and if there's a problem in term of coherence, don't hesitate to point it out too.  
Thanks again for reading!

See you next chapter~


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

 **Warning:** AU (sort of)/Unbeta'ed/Lack of knowledge about religion and hierarchy so improvisation!

 **Rating:** T

 **A/N:** I'm starting to wonder if I should put the rating up to M. I also wonder if it would be a little bit more organized if I divided the chapters in arcs or parts. Anyway, there, on one hand, there is not a lot of action in this chapter, but on the other hand, there is information. Thank you for the reviews, follows, favs and for still being there!

Oh, and, to avoid confusion: they're speaking in Italian when the three of them aren't alone. When alone, they're speaking in Japanese. I think that I precise which language it is used each time. Also, Tsuna's speaking slowly and very articulately to control his breathing and emotions to prevent stutter. It doesn't work with intense feelings (terror, panic, fury, etc.), of course. No, it isn't Reborn who taught him that. Guess who did?

Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

The house was quiet in the morning. On Flavia's request, her daughter and son-in-law had brought their children here before heading out to work. While they didn't know why exactly Flavia had been so uneasy for the past few days –though the recent murders were enough of a reason- they trusted her instincts. If Flavia advised them to shut the kids away from the world for as long as she deemed it necessary, they wouldn't argue. Her daughter had witnessed how perceptive and right her mother could be at times. So, with only some words of concern but none of misplaced curiosity, the parents let the children at Flavia's home. School wasn't a problem when safety was a priority.

Flavia was currently sipping her coffee, staring outside. She had a weird foreboding feeling for some days now and wondered what caused it. At first, she thought it was about the murders happening in town and in the forest. However, she began to suspect that it was something else. There was more behind the recent deaths that it seemed. It was the main reason she had her grandchildren at home, under her watch. Her house had protection that their parents' place lacked. Here, she could protect them.

Thinking about the children brought back the memory of a certain young brunet with a black cat. At the first glance, Flavia had known that the boy was peculiar. Firstly, his companion was no ordinary. Usually, Flavia avoided any black cats, knowing the bad luck following them, especially when they presented eyes with odd colors. This Kage-chan was trickier. The feline had two tails, odd-colored eyes and black fur. Her sole presence screamed danger or misfortune. However, she found that she didn't mind one bit the cat's presence.

Flavia's eyes shifted, gazing absently at the table, noticing distractedly that she should put the butter and the jam in the fridge. Her thoughts kept her still though. It wasn't only the cat, but also her foreboding feeling. That was the second point. The boy –Suzume– was so bright, he overwhelmed for a few hours her worries. He was completely at ease with the odd cat, even though he was so shy and almost awkward with her family. It was as if he was comfortable with Kage-chan but not with humans. It was troubling her. Suzume was a child. He shouldn't be so wary, sometimes speaking too wisely for his age before clamming up again. There was something that wasn't right.

Also, why was he alone? The boy was blind with a cat for only companion. Where were his parents? It was so odd, so surprising and so _peculiar_ that Flavia had briefly wondered if Suzume was really human.

She sighed and drank the rest of her drink. She then stood up, reaching for both the butter and the jam. The knife fell on the floor with a clatter, briefly glinting in the sunlight. Flavia contemplated it in silence for a few seconds before bending down to pick it up. Well, it seemed that the day would be a little bit more eventful than she thought first. Time to clean up.

The first among the children to wake up was Agnella. She yawned, rubbing her eyes and headed towards the kitchen. She vaguely remembered that her parents had brought her at her _Nonna's_ home earlier. Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled when she caught the scent of flowers and mint, betraying the presence of her _Nonna_. Bursting into the kitchen, she ran to Flavia to offer her morning hug. Her grandmother chuckled, returning the embrace before pointing at the table. Agnella turned around, instantly noticing a bowl too many.

"Someone's coming?" She asked as she sat on one of the chairs, knowing that her _Nonna_ usually ate before any of them.

Flavia simply smiled a bit mischievously. The doorbell rang, keeping her granddaughter from insisting. She quickly left the kitchen, followed by a curious Agnella. By precaution, her _Nonna_ indicated her to stay a few steps behind. Well, Flavia knew who was waiting outside but safety first. She opened the door, revealing a brunet and his cat, but also an infant in a black suit and a smiling young man. She paused for a short moment, taken aback. Sure, she had expected Suzume and his companion but no one else.

Tsuna offered her a sheepish smile, ruffling nervously his hair.

"G-Good morning, Flavia." He greeted her, twitching in pain when Reborn pinched the nape of his neck. "Huh, I'm sorry for coming here uninvited–"

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed brightly, taking one of his hands to lead him inside. "Come, come, you're all on time for breakfast."

There was an excited squeal coming from inside, revealing Agnella's presence. Tsuna suddenly felt something crushing into him. He staggered a bit and was thankfully steadied by Nereo.

"Suzume!" Agnella giggled, hugging him happily. "You're back!"

"Yeah…" Tsuna answered, unsure on what to say.

"Agnella, you should wake your brothers up." Flavia intervened, noting how uncomfortable he seemed.

Her granddaughter complied, disappearing further into the house. The group followed the old lady in the kitchen, settling around the table, wisely letting the bowls for the children. She offered a cup of coffee for each of them, excluding Kage-chan who had taken her usual place on Tsuna's lap. Nereo was surprised to see Flavia offering the dark liquid to an infant. Granted, Renato was a child only by form but how was a granny able to see that?

Steps were heard coming towards them, warning them of the sudden storm of three children. Agnella, being the youngest and the most excited, instantly went to Tsuna, asking him to play with her. Davide, still half-asleep, greeted absently everyone and sat on his chair, not even noticing that there were unknown faces. Alessio rolled his eyes at his sister, avoiding warily the guests –with only a nod for Tsuna. The children finally sat around the table, starting eating –or resuming– their breakfast. Tsuna let the scent of hot chocolate, bread, butter and jam briefly remind him of his own home, wondering how his mother and the bakeneko were. He already kind of missed them, though he was used to travelling.

"If I may ask, how did you meet each other?" Nereo asked, sitting beside Davide.

His neighbor immediately began to snicker. "Suzume fell into the fountain."

"He looked like a wet kitten." Agnella added thoughtfully before gulping down her hot chocolate.

"Oh?" Reborn smirked, a glint in his eyes.

Tsuna cringed at the sound, knowing that the small exclamation was quite foreboding.

"Yup!" Davide carried on, unaware of the brunet's mortification. "So _Nonna_ invited him to lunch and gave him some clothes. Then, he played with us all afternoon!" He ended with a big smile, waving his spoon carelessly.

Nereo quietly snickered, inching away from the boy in hope of sparing his own clothes from getting slightly dirty. Agnella put down her bowl, lifting her head to stare at the brunet and completely oblivious to the brown moustache adorning her lips.

"Will Suzume play with us today too?" She asked hopefully. " _Nonna_ said that we can't go outside."

Alessio laughed at her, pointing out the chocolate above her mouth. They instantly started to bicker, much to Nereo's despair who didn't know how to calm them down. Tsuna was inwardly thankful to the boy's lack of tact that had prevented him from answering and disappointing the girl.

"I think it's a good idea that the children stay home today." He commented quietly, shifting on his chair. "Snakes are gone but other dangers lurked outside."

Fluvia's clear eyes darkened. She grabbed her _cornicello_ that she wore as a necklace, unconsciously rubbing it between her fingers.

"I'm glad that the _bambini_ had their _bulla_ and _lunula_." She mumbled more to herself than to them. "Is everyone done?" She then asked the children who nodded. "You should go brush your teeth and wash your faces before playing. Will you accompany them, _Signore_ exorcist?"

Nereo jerked, startled. "How did you know?" He wondered, looking at his casual outfit. There was absolutely nothing that could indicate his job.

"Signs don't lie." She simply replied.

That didn't really answer his question. He was still on his chair, the children waiting around him, and looked at Tsuna. As if feeling the stare, the teen turned slightly to him and nodded with a smile.

"Go, Nereo." He calmly urged him. "Everything's fine. I'll tell you if something important has been said."

Reluctantly, Nereo followed the cheerful children who were chatting loudly between them. The atmosphere around the table seemed to tense as the kids left. Flavia finished calmly her coffee and put it down with a light clinking on the saucer. She then folded her hands in front of her, looking calmly at Tsuna. None of her suspicion and apprehension could be read in her gaze. She knew at first glance that the boy was special, especially with the black cat with strange eyes following him everywhere. It was bad luck enough to meet a black cat but one with eyes with different colors –well, it was worse. However, since it was obvious that little Suzume was a very kind soul and honestly, when soaked wet and shivering, he simply called on every motherly instinct she had. There was no way she would have left him alone in a foreign town without helping him. That being said, Flavia wasn't naïve. This encounter was certainly more relevant than it seemed.

Tsuna sighed, ruffling his hair, wondering how he should explain the situation. Well, he probably should begin with what she knew. He really needed her help after all. He absolutely hated the thought of doing nothing –of being _useless_ – when he just knew that he could do something, even if it wasn't big. He had to try at least.

"I met _Il Malefico_ yesterday night." He informed her, shifting in his seat in slight nervousness when he felt her stress increase. "I'm fine, nothing has happened to me." He promptly reassured her. " _Il Malefico_ is gone and won't be back."

"You confronted a giant snake that possesses the ability to kill with only one look _alone and at night_?" Flavia asked, incredulous and more than a little bit angry. "What had crossed your mind, _idiota_?"

Tsuna grimaced. That wasn't how he had intended it to sound like!

"I-It's fine!" He hurriedly tried to placate her, waving his hands in front of him almost defensively and cringing at his stutter. "T-to put it simply, I knew that I wouldn't be harmed."

Flavia gave him an unimpressed look. "And how would you know that, _piccolo_?"

"Um…" He fidgeted a bit, wondering what he should say.

He couldn't lie –didn't want to anyway– but blatantly admit that the basilisk Midori was his friend? Yeah, probably not the best answer to give. He couldn't just tell that his gut feeling assured him that he would be fine –he didn't want Flavia to feel insulted. There wasn't any good answer, was it?

"It was a basilisk called Midori who had accidentally killed the sixth vi–uh, person." He blurted out. "She is my friend so…"

He didn't finish his sentence since there wasn't any need to. He shrunk a bit on himself at the following stunned silence. He really should have worded it better. Much to his surprise, Flavia simply sighed.

"I knew that you were special, little Suzume, when I met you." She revealed calmly, watching him stiffen. "The signs were practically screaming at me."

"Signs?" Tsuna repeated.

"In my country, a black cat with odd-eyes is known to bring bad luck or to warn about incoming misfortunes. When I saw you falling into the fountain, I thought that it was indeed the case." She deliberately ignored the snort coming from the cat, knowing that the feline was more than she seemed. "However, when it appeared obvious that she was your companion in your travel, I quickly changed my mind."

"What do you mean?"

Flavia smiled. "Little Suzume, you don't know how your mere presence affect those who surround you, do you?"

Reborn instantly thought of the Harmony of his Sky Flames. However, Tsuna wasn't constantly using them. Also, Flames knowledge was Mafia knowledge and therefore, highly restricted. In fact, no one aside from the brightest minds and those who roamed in the Underworld should know about them. So, was Flavia in the secret or could she feel them in some way? Of course, it could also be something else. Reborn had just been thrown into a world he needed to learn the rules and aspects.

"No, he doesn't." Kage-chan answered, stopping caring about maintaining appearances. "He is completely oblivious."

"Am not." Tsuna scowled.

He was ignored, of course, as Flavia chuckled. "Well, since the two of you understand what I am talking about, I don't really need to explain myself, now, do I?" It was a rhetorical question so she carried on. "I suspected that your presence had a link with the recent deaths but all I could see was a young boy soaked wet by his own clumsiness. Once I approached you, little Suzume, and shared a meal and stories with you, I knew that I should treat you as the signs advised me to."

"In other words…?" Tsuna insisted a bit, half-fearing the answer, so used to hear negative things about him.

It was one of the reasons he hated to have the attention on him. That and attention usually meant that assassins or yôkai were after him. Flavia watched him in silence for a few moments, pondering on her thoughts. She could tell that she needed to be delicate as to not frighten him, as ridiculous as it sounded. Suzume carried a heavy burden that she didn't know of but the presence of the exorcist and of Kage-chan was enough of a hint to know that whatever it was, she shouldn't be involved for her own safety.

"As I said before, you are special, little Suzume." She chose to stick to prudence, avoiding revealing what she had read. "Why have you come here for? I doubt that you wanted to chat with an old lady and play with hyperactive children."

Tsuna frowned, aware that she had avoided answering his question. He didn't push however, somewhat relieved. He then wondered how much he should explain. If their roles were the other way around, he would have wished to know exactly what was going on.

"We know what is behind the deaths." He revealed, shifting on his chair. "A human has been conducting a ritual to invoke at least one demon."

"That explains why you're accompanied by an exorcist." Flavia commented weakly, paling and one of her hands reaching for her necklace once again.

"I've never dealt with any demons before." Tsuna admitted. "I can't really do much but I– I still want to help."

She nodded slowly, still quite shocked. She was worried not only for her children and grandchildren but for little Suzume too now.

"That's why I came to you." The teen carried on without waiting for a reply, focused on explaining the reason of his presence. "I don't think that the charms I know of would be effective against demons. Since the exorcists are going to deal with them, I want to offer them some kind of protection."

She watched him shift in embarrassment on his chair, ruffling his hair nervously. Why did he come to her for advices? Wouldn't it be better to ask some priests? Then again, she was one of the only ones to believe in the old ways, unaffected by the growing skepticism. Her hands went to her nape, opening the necklace. Without any warning, she grabbed one of Tsuna's hands who flinched reflexively.

"This is a _cornicello_." She began, ignoring his reaction and placing said object in his hands. "It is known to protect from the _malocchio_. They are usually made of red coral, gold or silver. Though I had seen some made of bones or _terracotta_."

Tsuna's fingers traced the horn-shaped of the _cornicello_ as he listened attentively.

"Mine is in silver." Flavia tapped the necklace. "For young girls and boys, we gave them _lunula_ and _bulla_ , usually made of metal like gold, silver or copper. Usually, upon reaching their adulthood, they took the charms off and only kept the _cornicello._ They are also _cimaruta_ which are silver charm composed with different symbols according to your region or your family. I know that one of my aunts had one with a rose, a key, a crescent moon and an owl."

"Are _cornicelli_ easy to find?" Tsuna asked thoughtfully.

He couldn't make them for obvious reasons. However, if he could find some, he would be able to infuse his spiritual power in them. He would have preferred to make them, since his charms were generally more powerful this way, absorbing easily his energy.

"Yes, very." She replied, standing up. "However, more than half of them aren't any good and are only tourist traps. I'll give some contacts of mine that aren't fraudsters."

"That would be really helpful, thanks."

"How old are you, little Suzume?" She asked out of the blue, pausing on her way out of the kitchen. "You're not older than eleven, are you?"

"…I'm thirteen." Tsuna mumbled, a little bit vexed to be considered younger than he really was.

Flavia chuckled at his reaction. "Sorry, _piccolo_. Stay here, I'll be back shortly."

"Such a shame." Kage-chan sighed in Japanese after the grandmother disappeared. "It would have been better if you could make them with your own hands, mixing early with your spiritual energy. One created by you would be tremendously stronger than hers. She seemed to be aware of the energy stored in charms as she revealed that she is able to distinguish true charms from fakes. We need now to test if her contacts' works are compatible with you."

"Compatible?" Tsuna repeated with a frown. "I thought–"

The nekomata leaped on his face, making him shriek and flail his arms to keep his balance, his chair dangerously swinging back.

"What happens if two different spiritual energies clash?" She asked, using him as a support to jump away and successfully sending him to the ground.

She sat on the table, looking down at him and waiting for his answer. Reborn stayed silent at his place, entertained by the show and listening with rapt attention. Tsuna groaned and massaged his head.

"They merge together?" He suggested carefully, opting to stay put since there was a high chance that Kage-chan would once again send him to the floor if he gave the wrong answer.

At his companion's silence, he instantly knew that his answer was partly right but incomplete. She stared at him, unimpressed.

"What could be the other reaction?" She insisted.

"They could explode?"

"Good." She replied before leaping on him once again, effectively smacking his head on the floor. "You're not an idiot, cub. Think faster and answer with confidence."

The cat then glanced at the hitman. "The tiny human caught up quicker than you even though he doesn't know a thing about spiritual energies."

Reborn tipped his fedora down, taking it as a weirdly formulated compliment. Kage-chan scoffed and turned away.

"Listen." She hissed at Tsuna who sat up, clenching his head with his hands and a grimace. "While putting your energy into an artifact that contained already one, two things can happen. One, the energies will merge and increase the power of said artifact. Two, the energies will clash and repel each other, causing the destruction of their container. It is, in theory, possible for you to strengthen whatever spell is put in a charm by adding your own energy. However, if you are not compatible with the one already existing, the object will explode."

Tsuna nodded slowly.

"Now, you need to understand that merging two spiritual energies are only means used in some circumstances. Usually, it happens between two humans who wish to create or perform a spell, a ritual, a charm or any artifact with multiple effects or a higher power. This is the main reason behind the partnership between exorcists, plus the idea of gaining safety by working as a group. Of course, each individual can only offer what they have –it is a technique to cope with their blatant weaknesses when alone."

"If humans can merge their energies, is it possible between yôkai and between yôkai and human?" Tsuna asked, completely taken by the sudden lesson.

"Yes, of course." Kage-chan replied as if it was obvious. "Yôkai who live in clan, family or community of the sort may decide to combine all of their powers to face an enemy. As for relation between yôkai and human, the contract of shiki is a perfect example of necessary compatibility between the two parties. If none of them are compatible, they can't perform any form of contract or even a pact. If by chance they manage to connect, the process would be terribly painful and inevitably result in their deaths."

"How can Tsuna know his compatibility with someone?" Reborn intervened.

This discussion reminded him of the Flames, though the concept was different. All Flames were compatible with each other. However, not all of them could Bond. It was a matter of attraction. Kage-chan shot him a look, displeased to hear his curiosity even if his question was important.

"Tell me, cub, do you think our spiritual energies are compatible?" She turned towards the teen, apparently ignoring the hitman. "Whatdoesyourinstinctsay _?_ "

"Yes, they are." Tsuna answered without any doubt.

"Correct." She purred. "They are today compatible. However, when we first met, they weren't. Know that spiritual energies evolve with their owner. Humans are the ones with the best potential of change while yôkai seem to freeze into a definite state. In our case, our spiritual powers have both evolved for the past few years. However, it is yours that has definitely changed the most to fall in line with mine."

She jumped on the ground, still purring. She then turned slowly towards the hitman, a sly glint in her eyes.

"Now, cub, do you think your spiritual energy is compatible with the tiny human's?"

The question took him aback.

"Every living being has spiritual energy, even when said energy is extremely low to the point it is almost nonexistent." The nekomata explained without hiding her scorn. "That includes the cursed one."

Tsuna flinched when he felt Reborn's killing intent rise, clearly aiming for Kage-chan. Couldn't they had least behaved? He silently despaired, wishing they could avoid provoking each other.

"I think they are, yes." He quickly answered, following what his gut was whispering to him. "It's also the case for Mom but not for the cats."

Kage-chan shot him a curious glance, her purring stopping abruptly. "Oh? Who would have thought?"

"Y-yeah…" Tsuna mumbled, fidgeting. "It's just a feeling I have. I– I mean, I don't know why or how but–"

"Take the old woman's _cornicello_." She interrupted him. "Tell me what you sense."

He complied, getting up and putting back up the chair with him. Taking back his previous place, he took a deep breath to calm down and picked up the charm. Letting his spiritual power brush the _cornicello_ , he instantly dropped it. It clattered on the table, innocently glinting under the sunlight.

"It was as if a shock had burnt my fingers, running on my skin to pierce my head." He frowned, rubbing with discomfort his left hand.

"You're not compatible neither with her or the one who gave her the charm." Kage-chan explained, leaping on the table. "This pain proves it."

"There's something I don't understand." Tsuna put his elbow on the table, cupping his chin with his left hand. "If I am not compatible with the cats, how can I feed them with my energy?"

"When two beings try to merge their energies, we consider that they are resonating. When a being eats another, they absorb the energy to make it their own." She reflected a bit, wondering how she could put it differently. "When you're feeding the cats, you're relinquishing your hold on a part of your energy to let them take it to fuel them."

"In other words, Tsuna, you give them willingly a part of you –your energy – without the possibility of ever getting it back to someone else's benefit." Reborn piped in, understanding what she was getting at. "See it as a sacrifice, a negative gesture that creates a lack in you until you rest or fill the void in some way. When you resonate, you control your energy and exchange it with whoever is your partner. See it as a link, a positive bond between the two of you that you both hold and manipulate to create."

Tsuna's face lit up in understanding. Reborn shot a smug look at Kage-chan who glared at him, swallowing down the urge to hiss.

"Did you feel anything when you entered in the house, Kage-chan?" The teen asked, oblivious to the scene.

The cat blinked, turning her attention to him. "No, I didn't."

"That's what I thought." Tsuna hummed thoughtfully. "The protections that are actively warding off evil presence in this house are different from the ones we have at home. Proof is that you have been able to come without any problem, even without Flavia specifically allowing you."

"That's how you knew that your charms won't be effective against demons. Since you've already come here before, you simply needed to check if you were right." Reborn summarized, switching back to Italian. "This house can protect its inhabitants against them, but not against yôkai."

His student nodded.

"I am not surprised that you have been able to perceive the protections in my home." A voice commented from the corridor, entering the kitchen. "They have been put when my mother bought the house. I kept them ever since, knowing that evil entities can't break through them."

"You don't need to regularly replace them?" Tsuna asked, startled.

Flavia shook her head, getting back at her place and putting a large box on the table. The iron and the wood that it was made of were old but well-taken care of. She took back her necklace, absently putting it back around her neck, feeling naked without it.

"As long as the house is inhabited by people, the protections won't fail." She explained, opening the box. "My grandmother was a witchdoctor and she taught quite a few things to my mother. The art of ward was included in her lessons."

Tsuna slightly leaned in, smelling some plants' scents, mixing with the mint following Flavia whenever she was around.

"Are you one yourself?" Reborn asked.

"My mother wasn't as gifted as my _Nonna_ or me. She mainly taught me familial skills. More than half of my knowledge actually comes from my travels."

The answer surprised them. She waved a hand, expecting this reaction.

"Speaking of wards, salt is actually really handy to create barriers or to prevent any malicious presence from entering a room if you generously spread salt at each openings. If you're looking for protection, you should look for silver, coral or jewels made of bones." She carried on, rummaging in the box. "Rowan is used as a revealing tool for any kind of demonic activities. If you're looking to inflict some damage to demons, iron, steel, silver and holy water are effective. Crosses, crucifixes and rosaries don't work when the holder has no faith. Same applies to prayers or psalms. Another important tree is the oak which can't be touched by demons."

She took out two dried branches from different plants. She handed him the first one, still with glossy green and spiny leaves.

"This is holly." She then gave him slightly long and spirally arranged leaves covered with silky trichomes, making his fingers twitch. "And this is wormwood, or absinthe." She let him keep the leaves, searching for flowers or berries. "Both of them are also used for protection and to make sure that your loved ones come back home safely when they leave for a travel."

She let out a frustrated sigh when she didn't find what she wanted. It didn't stop her to continue her teaching.

"Water is a natural protection, especially torrents or strong rivers. Finding refuge on a lake keeps you from demons but not from the creatures lurking beneath the surface."

Kage-chan snorted, knowing how true the last statement was. Flavia ignored her, momentarily giving up on her search to write down names and addresses on a piece of paper.

"I know that the elderberry tree is regarded as sacred in some legends but I don't know if it has any power against demons. Here," She turned to Reborn, sliding the paper towards him. He glanced at it before putting it away. "I gave the names and the locations of some friends of mine who can sell or give you some _cornicelli_ to your companion."

"Thanks." Tsuna replied with a grateful smile. "Did you make any charms with your plants? I don't really have an idea on how make them." He admitted sheepishly.

She looked at him, surprised. "How do you make them usually?"

"Well, it depends." He shifted on his chair uneasily. "The ones called omamori are prayers hidden in a tiny bag, sealed with a cord."

"Yes but what about _yours_?" She insisted, finally finding holly berries.

"I pour my spiritual power in words carved in sakaki–"

"Sakaki?" Flavia interrupted him. "What is it?"

"It's a sacred tree." Kage-chan answered bluntly.

"–that I put inside a tiny bag that I have knitted. Same thing applies for the cord that I use to close it." Tsuna finished, unfazed by the interruption. "Sometimes I switch with peach wood."

"It's very taxing in both spiritual and physical energy, since he doesn't rely on divine powers." The nekomata added. "Everything that Tsuna does has his energy in it. Usually, exorcists avoid this sort of craft, choosing to rely on charms provided by temples. It's safer for them. Suffering from spiritual exhaustion can easily lead to death."

Tsuna winced at her words. The grimace didn't escape Reborn's eyes. He wasn't even surprised to know that the teen had already reached this point at least once.

"To put it simply, I carved wishes of protection or luck." Tsuna summarized, instantly reminding the hitman of the words he had said to him a few days ago.

"I see." Flavia replied thoughtfully and handed him some berries. "These are holly berries." She then once again rummaged in the box. "Well, I don't really know what I can show you. My charms are usually braided with either holly or absinthe or the both of them in the shape of a cross. Sometimes I put berries and flowers inside a silver or coral locket as a necklace. I specialize in jewels, in fact." She put out some dry wormwood flowers. "Here, maybe there is still the scent of absinthe flowers on them."

Tsuna absently took them, frowning.

"What about talismans?" He asked, playing with the berries. "What do you use?"

"Which types are you speaking about?" She rubbed her forehead, abandoning the box. "They are all kinds of them."

"I'm talking about wards or portative repellent."

Flavia mouthed the two last words before chuckling in amusement. "Well, I don't really know about talismans used as repellent." She then sighed, recovering her serious. "I'm not an expert in talismans, sorry."

Tsuna raised his eyebrows in surprise before his face scrunched up in confusion. "But you have wards on your house."

"Yes but I only use an artifact." She easily replied. "I can't tell you what it is exactly. It's part of my family secrets."

He nodded to show his understanding. Kage-chan lazily stretched, glancing at her cub. She had an idea about it but she can wait until they were out of the house to talk about it. A sudden silence fell afterwards. Tsuna ruffled his hair in frustration. He couldn't go in the forest to try and search for the plants, with the faint hope that some grew nearby. He didn't even know if it was allowed to collect them. As for the metals, well, it wasn't as if he regularly traveled with ingots of silver or iron. Even if he had some, he didn't have the means to work with them. Absently, he wondered what kind of bullets Reborn had. Not that he would ask him to melt his ammunition but it would be useful to the hitman if the need to defend himself from demons were to arise. Though he wasn't Gifted so he couldn't See them and if the demons were strong enough to appear before the Sightless, then bullets wouldn't be of any help.

He supposed that he could write some prayers and psalms on papers to create some talismans. He could also try to find crosses and rosaries. They wouldn't work for him though.

"Renato, do you believe in God?" Tsuna asked out the blue.

Kage-chan's tails twitched, startled. Then she started to laugh.

"No." Reborn bluntly answered, staring blankly at the cat.

There went another possibility to protect his tutor. Then again, Tsuna had expected this answer. He silently hoped that the exorcists didn't share the same mindset or he doubted that he would be able to help them. He also had a terrible lack of knowledge in the art of artifacts so he couldn't create one from scratch to protect a bunch of humans from one or several demons with unknown abilities.

Damn. They really were in a fine mess, weren't they?

Tsuna rubbed his forehead in the vain hope to ease the building headache. He gave back the berries and the flowers and was startled when Flavia caught his hands.

"Take this _bulla_ with you. It's a silver locket." She forced his fingers to close around the necklace. "I know that I can't really help you but let me give you this, at least."

"B-but don't you need it for your grandchildren?" He protested, ready to refuse it.

"Don't worry, I can offer one of them if I wish." She smiled warmly. "After all, I can always make another one."

"If you're sure…" Tsuna hesitantly replied, accepting the gift. "Thank you very much for both the _bulla_ and for sharing your knowledge."

"My pleasure." She firmly said, chuckling a bit. "Now, I should free your friend from my _bambini_ 's hold."

Upon hearing that Tsuna was leaving, Agnella instantly rushed inside the kitchen, successfully preventing them from stepping outside the room.

"No!" She exclaimed, stomping her foot. "You've just come back! You didn't even play with us."

Tsuna knelt in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Agnella but I can't stay. I have things to do."

"But you promised that you'll play with me." She pouted, her eyes watering.

He cringed, hearing the pitiful tone of her voice. He didn't know what to say. He ran a hand in his hair, tucking one lock as he thought. The boys came in at this exact moment, spotting their upset sister. Alessio winced in sympathy, knowing how hard it could be to calm her down. Nereo stayed silent just outside the kitchen, observing. Davide hesitated, sending a glance to his grandmother.

"I intend to keep my promise." Tsuna assured Agnella, taking carefully her hands in his. "Yesterday, I said that I'll come back and enjoy another day with everyone, right?"

She nodded though he couldn't see that. "But-"

"But today, there are only your brothers, your _Nonna_ and you, right?" He interrupted her before she could protest. "That means that I'll have to come again to keep my promise."

For one moment, her face scrunched up in confusion. Behind her, Davide smiled, instantly catching up. Admittedly, Tsuna had simply decided to play a bit with the words and how they were formulated, insisting on the fact that he had promised to come back again to share another meal with everyone just like yesterday. Agnella suddenly brightened as she understood, squeezing his hands.

"Then you'll come back!" She exclaimed in delight, hearing what she wanted to, despite the fact that anyone older than her would probably not be convinced by such an explanation.

"Exactly." Tsuna smiled, letting her go.

"I still don't like it though." Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "But I can accept that."

"Good." He sighed in relief.

Agnella gave him a last hug before he stood up. Alessio had an undecipherable look on his face, glancing between the box on the table, his grandmother and Tsuna. Davide went to the exorcist, talking animatedly with him and biding him goodbye. Kage-chan had already vanished outside, unnoticed. Reborn and Flavia were politely exchanging last words, waiting for Tsuna to be ready. Alessio turned to the brunet with curiosity.

"Who are you really?" He asked.

Tsuna tilted his head to the side, wordlessly encouraging him to explain. Alessio pointed to the box uselessly.

"I mean, it's not often that _Nonna_ brings out her special box. She doesn't show nor does she give this sort of things to other people who aren't family." He made a vague movement with his hand towards the _bulla_ hanging around Tsuna's neck.

Tsuna hummed. "I think you already know who I am."

Alessio started, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Talk with your grandmother, Alessio." Tsuna advised him. "She holds some of the answers you're seeking."

"Why do _Nonna_ and you enjoy so much being so cryptic?" Alessio deadpanned, face briefly going blank.

Tsuna let out a surprised chuckle. There wasn't any mockery in it but simply genuine amusement. The Italian boy relaxed despite his exasperation, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth. He sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I'll talk with her." He withdrew willingly. "So whatever you have to do, be careful. You have a promise to keep to my sister."

Tsuna smiled. "I don't make empty promises. Besides," he added with a tranquil certainty coming from he didn't know where, "we'll meet again."

Flavia and the children relaxed, hearing his parting words. Nereo raised an inquisitive eyebrow, witnessing their reactions and wondering where such faith came from.

The sun was hiding behind clouds when they got out of the house, Nereo leading them towards the nearest church.

"So, did you learn anything useful?" He asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Do any of you believe in God?"

"Some of us do." The exorcist replied without missing a beat despite the unexpectedness of the question. "You're thinking about crosses, holy water and such, aren't you?"

"Yes." Tsuna confirmed, carrying as usual both Kage-chan and Reborn around. Really, since when did he become their official human vehicle?

"Well, we all carry crosses on us. As for holy water, we usually have some inside our cars but we didn't think we'll need it so we didn't bring any of it. It was stupid of us. We should have considered the possibility of demons. We even took some bags of salt with us."

"We'll need the salt." Tsuna quietly commented, shifting his hold on Kage-chan. "Do any of you know psalms or prayers?"

Nereo shrugged. "Apart from the _Ave Maria_ , I'm not sure."

"What about weapons?"

"Well, all of us have at least one gun and a knife." The exorcist answered slowly, feeling a little bit put off to talk about arms with a child and an infant –even a cursed one. "Of course, both the bullets and the blade are in silver."

"Mine should be enough to hurt or at least distract a demon." Reborn spoke up, anticipating the next question. "I doubt that I'll be able to kill it, especially if it's powerful enough for me to see it."

Tsuna frowned, clearly uneasy at the thought of letting his tutor fight against a demon. He turned his attention back to Nereo. "Do you have _cornicelli_ on you?"

"Yes, all of us do."

"I'll need to check them to be sure that they are real charms, also, I may be able to strengthen the protection placed in them." Tsuna was more talking to himself than speaking to them. "We need holy water, obviously. I doubt that a Bible will help us, unless someone in the group is a fast-learner or has an excellent memory. It would be great if the churches have some artifact to keep the demons at bay, though I don't think they have one. Maybe we should check for more _cornicelli_ from Flavia's list, just in case. As for the plants, maybe some florists have them or I could try and go in the forest–"

"You will certainly not leave the town, cub." Kage-chan interrupted his ramble.

"The streets aren't safer than the woods." Tsuna argued instantly. "I only need to find some oaks or maybe some rowan. With those, I can craft–"

"You will do no such things." The nekomata cut him off sternly. "It's already difficult to keep you out of trouble so I certainly don't need you to look for them."

"I'm not looking for them!" Tsuna protested in indignation.

"I'm sure that with the holy water, the crucifix, the salt and our weapons, we will be fine, Suzume." Nereo intervened quickly to prevent an argument between them.

"And the _cornicelli_." The brunet added, insisting on whatever protection they could use. "I'm still sure I can do more to help you though."

"We'll think about it together after speaking with a priest." The exorcist conceded, trying to negotiate. "For now, we should focus on the task at hand. By the way, how did you know that Flavia would be able to help?"

Tsuna shrugged. "I didn't know, not really. I've simply got the feeling that she could." He shifted in embarrassment, sounding apologetic. "S-sorry, I don't know how to explain."

"Do you have often this kind of feelings?"

Kage-chan snorted. "You should ask when he doesn't have them."

"A-at least, they're useful since they're rarely wrong." Tsuna interjected, looking a bit uncomfortable, clearly wondering if he should really encourage them to talk about him. No, probably not. "So, w-what is the name of the church?" He asked lamely, trying to orient the conversation elsewhere.

" _San Francesco_ , I think." Nereo graciously dropped the subject. "In fact, there are three or four churches in the town, but _San Francesco_ is the closest from Flavia's house. I guess that the others will be atthe _chiese della Trinità_ and the _San Lorenzo_ church, and this one probably as well."

"Do you know which church your informant belongs to?" Reborn asked.

"Why? Do you wish to interrogate him?" Nereo shot back, half-joking.

The hitman smirked, staring straight at him in a way that made the exorcist shudder, fighting the urge to take a step away from the infant.

"Renato, stop that." Tsuna frowned reproachfully at him, sensing the Italian's discomfort. "I'm sorry, Nereo." He added, turning towards said man.

"I'm fine, Suzume, don't worry." Nereo assured him, shooting an uncertain glance at the disturbing old and merciless black eyes boring into his own.

He shivered once again, abruptly turning away. This single look reminded him of something very important about Tsuna and his companions. Renato was a cursed man who knew a lot about mankind's sins and who had his fair share of horrors (had probably taken part of), casually traveling around with customized weapons. His past was probably best kept secret for his own sake. Nereo had no doubt that Renato was extremely dangerous and he wasn't only referring to skills. As for Kage-chan, she was obviously a supernatural creature. She shifted between two forms, including one that revealed her existence to Sightless beings. Nereo didn't know much about Eastern creatures –yôkai as Suzume called them – but judging by how casual and knowledgeable she mentioned demons, she was as powerful as a minor or mild one. She held no interest in humans' lives with the exception of Suzume's as any creature did in her case. Suzume himself was a kind soul, perceptive but full of doubts about his own skills. How on earth did he find himself surrounded by such dangerous individuals?

"Are we almost there?" Kage-chan cut in his thoughts, sounding impatient. "I do not fancy staying outside unprotected longer than it is necessary."

"It's just a few streets ahead." Nereo assured her. "We're certainly going to disturb a Mass so we should stay back for a while, waiting for the priest to finish." He paused then, a thought striking him. "Will you be able to get inside? It is a sacred place after all."

"I'm not a demon." She reminded him. "I'm indeed a foreign entity to this world but I'm not malicious. I doubt that Christian protections will prevent me from entering."

The exorcist instantly noticed the specification. Suzume was an Asiatic name, wasn't it? It was Chinese or Japanese. What were the religions in this part of the world?

"So, Buddhist protections would keep you out?" He asked evenly, fishing.

"You unfortunately lack the power needed to cast such spells." The nekomata replied matter-of-factly, sending him a warning glance.

Nereo took the rebuke in strike, expecting it. It was a trait shared by both humans and supernatural creatures – this refusal to show any weakness. Tsuna looked vaguely disapproving towards her reaction but mostly resigned. It was probably common occurrence from her to treat the other harshly.

"You should focus on your surroundings." Kage-chan advised him, snapping him out of his musings. "You're too distracted for your own good."

" _Kage-chan_." Tsuna hissed quietly, sounding exasperated.

"No, she's right, Suzume." Nereo admitted, stabilizing him when the brunet tripped over a broken cobblestone. The boy thanked him with embarrassment. "I can't let my guard down, especially not with a demon roaming the street."

"That's true but Kage-chan will be the first to notice it even if you're on the lookout." Tsuna pointed out.

"Laziness will only bring forth injuries or death." The nekomata's voice was severe, teaching. "You need to be able to look after yourself on your own. Don't rely on others."

It suddenly struck Reborn how alike the nekomata and he were. Reborn had learned to hone his skills to perfection for he absolutely refused the idea of dependency. Trusting another would simply make him weak. If he wanted to survive, he had to be alone. It was intrinsically linked to his own nature. He was a free spirit in essence, abhorring the idea of getting chained to anything. It was the main reason as to why he viscerally hated the curse; it went against everything that was him. Choosing solitude over Bond and Harmony suited him –had suited him for years.

Tsuna however was different. He was a very powerful Sky, certainly a very accepting one. Skies couldn't be alone. They needed Elements to keep their balance. So while Kage-chan wasn't wrong in telling him that he needed to be able to fend for himself, it was untrue that he shouldn't rely on others. He _would_ rely on his Elements because he needed it –it was essential. Now, the main concern was to find appropriate Elements to create a bright and encompassing Sky. Reborn rejected the mere idea of grounding Tsuna by letting him Bond with paralyzing and stifling Elements. He would not witness the downfall of a Sky with such magnificent potential. The whole yôkai business surely didn't make the search any easier but Reborn had always liked a good challenge.

Not for the first time the hitman noticed how tense Tsuna's shoulders were. Since he was currently riding on the left one, he could clearly feel how stiff they were. The boy was in dire need of a relaxing massage.

"What's on your mind?" He asked in a whisper, preventing Nereo from hearing.

"I've the feeling that we're being watched." Tsuna answered in kind. "It's definitely malicious but nothing's going to happen, I think. Not yet at least." He ruffled his hair in frustration. "It's confusing."

"It might be the demon, biding its time." Kage-chan commented. "It probably suspects that there are exorcists in town, hunting it. It's merely observing."

"Shouldn't we be worried?" Tsuna paled, not liking how she put it. It gave the demon wits that he wished the creature didn't have.

Kage-chan snorted. "It's not as if it's unexpected. We have disturbed one of its meals before."

Hearing the dead child being referred as a meal turned Tsuna slightly nauseous. Sometimes, Kage-chan was truly foreign to any form of compassion. It still disturbed him despite knowing her for years.

The familiar sound of a fountain nearby distracted him. He tilted his head towards the sound, suddenly paying more attention to his surroundings. They were getting closer to the water –the very same one he fell into not long ago. The presence was still there, following but keeping its distance. From where Tsuna stood, he could hear the Mass being said in the church. The square was void of any people and the only cars were parked around. There wasn't any wind either and the sun had already vanished behind heavy clouds. No birds were thrilling and no stray cats were around, looking for food. Without the sound of the fountain and of the people praying, Tsuna would have readily believed that there wasn't any life in town.

Nereo warned Tsuna of the stairs leading to the church and caught his elbow when the brunet missed a step, glancing thoughtfully at the fountain, no doubt remembering the children's anecdote. The exorcist then slowly opened the wooden door, inwardly relieved when the hinges didn't grate. They entered silently, closing slowly the door behind them to prevent further noisy disturbance. Some glanced their way but most of the attendees stayed focused on the priest. The little group stayed back, sliding discreetly in the last row. None of them really listened to the priest. Their minds were miles away, full of the knowledge of a demon roaming free in the streets.

Tsuna was at first destabilized by the echoes filling the church, giving him the impression that the priest's voice was coming from all around him. He knew that it was the architecture that was producing this phenomenon but it didn't mean that it was easy to adjust, especially with someone constantly using the effects to reach everyone. Being no novice however in matter of adaptation, Tsuna got used to it and leaned towards Nereo, sat beside him.

"Nereo, would you mind giving me your _cornicello_?" He asked the exorcist quietly, extending a hand. "We should be safe enough in the church."

Nereo agreed wordlessly, placing the jewel on the brunet's palm. It was a bit weird to be without it, making him feel strangely vulnerable. He shook the impression off, observing Tsuna frowning at his protection.

"Kage-chan, there is a limit of how much an item can withstand a certain amount of power, right?" He whispered to the yôkai comfortably lying on his lap.

"Obviously." She answered with a lazy twitch of her tails. "If you think that the _cornicello_ has reached its full capacity, don't try to add your own input. You'll only destroy it."

"Then I should give it back to you, Nereo." Tsuna instantly decided. "I don't want to risk shattering any protection we have."

"How long does this ceremony last?" The nekomata asked with a yawn, sounding utterly bored.

"It's not eleven yet, so we probably have another hour left." Nereo replied, being the only one knowing the answer and willing to give it.

She closed her eyes and shifted a bit, curling her front paws against her chest and let out a deep sigh, relaxing. "Weak hearts attract demons." She stated out of the blue, and Tsuna recognized one of her impromptu lessons. "Humans are vulnerable with their hearts. They don't know how to hide them, making them preys when they think they're predators."

Nereo seemed startled and he glanced around. "Are you saying that the church is full of weak hearts?"

Kage-chan opened one eye to stare at him. "Is it what I have said?"

The exorcist stayed silent, a little bit confused. He turned to Tsuna, vaguely expecting him to translate her words into some he could actually understand despite conversing in the same language. Surprisingly, it was Reborn who went to his help.

"No, it isn't." The hitman quietly corrected Nereo. "She is not specifically speaking about the believers gathered here." He didn't add anything else, clearly expecting him to figure out the rest.

"Humans." Tsuna repeated, head tilted and sounding absent. "Humans are all weak preys, according to you, Kage-chan."

"Most of them." She rectified, letting her eyes close once more. "They are exceptions of course."

He huffed. "You consider exorcists and even me, as preys. I'm the Conciliator, supposedly one of the most powerful humans. How can I be one? Is it because of my age?"

"You're not listening." She chided him, turning disapproving to him. "Your age has little relevance."

"Think, Tsuna." Reborn piped in, unfazed by the sudden glare he received from the dangerous cat. "What makes you a prey in Kage-chan's eyes?"

Nereo awkwardly shifted in his chair, wondering if the infant was deliberately tactless. His mind wandered away from the discussion as he observed Tsuna who didn't seem to have noticed Reborn's slip. He then thought about all the expressions existing in languages, involving the sight. He quickly recognized that it was impossible for him to count them all. There were just too many of them so it wouldn't be the first time for Tsuna to hear one in his presence. It was part of the vocabulary after all.

Obviously the brunet would know of them, know their meanings and how almost natural it was for people to use them. They rolled out of the tongue with ease since it was a common ground for most of the speakers. It was awkward and surprisingly hard to try to avoid using them. These attempts inevitably led to hesitation and even more awkwardness. With a flash of realization, Nereo noticed how it highlighted Tsuna's blindness when people made a conscious effort to avoid any mention of "eyes", "see" and such. The teen probably hated it when it happened and preferred when people spoke without taking precautions.

It was so obvious Nereo wondered why it took him so long to remark it. As he snapped back into focus, he witnessed Tsuna's own epiphany –which amused him greatly.

"Weak hearts." Tsuna whispered, no doubt mentally reprimanding himself for overlooking the obvious. "Power doesn't mean anything if you lack heart."

There was a silence in which Nereo expected him to disagree with Kage-chan, claiming that no, his heart was strong enough. To his shock and worry, Tsuna didn't do any of that.

"Can you really blame me, Kage-chan?" He asked softly, petting her gently. "Can you really blame me for it?"

"I'm not blaming you for it, not for Kioku." She corrected him sternly. "It is your resignation that I'm attempting to destroy."

"I'm realistic." Tsuna argued, his breath quickening. "Y-you know as well as I do t-that I am no m-match for him."

Kage-chan watched him with soft eyes, keeping silent. Reborn had darkened, lips pressed in a tight line. Nereo got the distinct impression that he was missing another level to this conversation that was already quite alarming by itself.

"Can you blame me for trying to save you?" She returned quietly, switching to Japanese, aware of their Italian audience. "You're my cub, Tsuna."

Tsuna didn't answer. He just resumed his petting and released a shuddering breath, allowing himself to let Reborn's Flames soothe him. It wasn't the right time or the right place to discuss about it. They had already argued, countless times and yet, nothing had changed. He didn't see why it would be different this time.

The four of them listened for a while to the priest's sermon –words that ended by losing any sense for Tsuna who could easily hold a conversation but not listen to a succession of sentences where he had missed the beginning as well as their purpose. His attention averted to the wonder of the acoustics of the church, listening to the flow of the sounds. With little effort, he could probably get lost in them. It wouldn't be difficult to forget the presences around him. Several rows of benches separated him from the attendees who paid all of their attention to their priest. Tsuna didn't get the opportunity when Reborn's voice stood out, high-pitched and _wrong_ for someone like him.

"Do you recognize which artifact Flavia was referring to?" He asked, prompting Nereo's confusion who wasn't there at this moment of the conversation and Kage-chan's unplanned twitch of her tails.

"I'm sure you have an idea about it." She dryly answered, keeping her head turned away from him.

"Indeed, I do." He retorted without missing a beat, smirking. "What do you think it is, Suzume?"

Tsuna started, a bit unnerved. He wanted nothing to do with their constant hostility. "I don't know." He admitted quickly, hoping to be left out of the discussion.

"Candlesticks." Kage-chan informed him. "She had one in her kitchen and in the hallway."

"They were all in silver, in a perfect shape and very old." Reborn continued.

"There was one in the children's bedroom too." Neuro spoke up, remembering. "It had a saucer to collect wax and a ring to hold it. I found it odd to see burning candles but dismissed it quickly, with Davide continuously speaking to me."

"I didn't smell anything." Tsuna frowned, bewildered. Usually, he noticed every scents swirling in a room. "Why?"

"I didn't as well." The nekomata assured him. "Then again, outsiders aren't supposed to notice wards."

Tsuna mused about it. "If that's the case, how come you noticed but I didn't?"

"Experience." The three of them chirped.

"It is a skill that you will gain with time, and time only, Suzume." Neuro smiled at him, placating. "Anyway, I didn't even recognize them for what they were. Kage-chan and Renato are simply wiser."

"Renato instinctively looked for anything that struck him as odd." Kage-chan added, sitting up and stretching. "I do as well. It's a matter of survival instinct."

There was another lull in the conversation. Neuro watched both the nekomata and the cursed infant, once more wondering what type of lives they had led to gain such habits. He suspected that he would never know the answer.

They waited for another twenty minutes without exchanging a word, half-listening to the priest. To their surprise, the Mass ended earlier than they expected. The sudden raise of chatters and clatters made Tsuna, who was once again overwhelmed by the echoes, flinch. He stayed put on his bench, resisting the urge to cover his ears and bit his lower lip. Neuro, however, stood up and wandered around for a bit, gleaning pieces of information. Between gossips and genuine enquiries, one held his attention. He mulled it over, absent-mindedly observing people leaving the church slowly and Tsuna and his companions approaching him.

The priest was finishing talking with a concerned woman, his Bible and some papers in his hands, when Neuro took a few steps to pointedly prevent him from retreating. The civilian left with an impeccable timing, allowing the exorcist to speak.

" _Padre_ ," he began and looked from the corner of his eyes as Tsuna came to a halt at his side, "I was wondering if you could tell me where I will be able to find _Padre_ _Giovanni_. We wish to speak to him for quite an urgent matter."

It was their informant's name, not that the brunet or his companions knew it. They however stayed wisely silent, letting him speak. The priest, who was actually assistant-priest, usually simply helping out _Padre Giovanni_ , didn't notice them and shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm afraid _Padre Giovanni_ is quite indisposed for the time being." He replied with a forced smile that didn't erase his concern lines etching his face. "I may be able to help you."

"He is the one who called us here." Neuro noticed that his interlocutor didn't get the clue and added. "I am an exorcist."

The priest seemed startled at first before his expression darkened as he frowned. "I see." He then sighed, giving up any pretenses. "He won't be able to help you, child."

"Why?" Tsuna asked, a horrible suspicion creeping in.

The priest turned a surprised look towards him and flinched in recoil, gaze flickering from open and unseeing eyes to merciless and intense dark orbs to a black cat with two tails. Something resembling fear flashed in his expression before he got his composure back and straightened his back. He sighed heavily.

" _Padre Giovanni_ has been missing for two days now."

* * *

 **A/N:** It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm back with a new and long (as usual) chapter. My apologies for the delay, I've been postponing for weeks because of constant change. Alas, my computer is dying so I may disappear for a bit if it decides to abandon me _before_ I get a new one.

I've spent quite a while doing some research on legends, superstitions (including Italian ones) and Popoli. The books are in French. The sites are in French and English. Well, except when I was looking for Popoli's churches for those are in Italian (no, I don't speak Italian but dictionaries are reliable old friends). If interested, just drop a review or PM me.

Same if you got questions, of course, don't hesitate to reach me –as well as to indicate grammar mistakes or errors in coherence, as always.

Thanks for reading!

See you next chapter~


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